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- Su’a Cravens was a five-star recruit out of high school and thought he had it locked up.
- When he got to USC, he learned a lesson in humility.
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When Su’a Cravens committed to USC in the Class of 2013, he had offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and countless others. When Su’a Cravens arrived at USC in the spring of 2013, he faced quite the reality check.
As a five-star, No. 5 recruit in the nation, Cravens could have gone anywhere in the country. He stood 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and was the top player in his class at the safety position.
Thus, when he first got to suit up for the Trojans, Cravens figured it would be a cake walk. He thought that since he dominated on the high school level, it wouldn’t be that big of an adjustment to the college level.
He was wrong.
Cravens recently joined the Momentum podcast, hosted by USC quarterback Mo Hasan and discussed the reality check. His first practice was rough.
On the first snap of one-on-ones, 6-foot-6, 245-pound five-star tight end (a junior at the time) Xavier Grimble humbled Cravens real quick. He shook him to his core with a helmet slap.
“I’m chasing cheeks behind him,” Cravens said.
On the next rep, he ate dirt. After lunch, Cravens had to come back and — at 17 years old — guard Marquise Lee and Nelson Agholor, who both went on to the NFL.
It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
Here is Cravens discussing the experience in his own words:
Trial by fire for @iammsuzy at USC pic.twitter.com/tJKjxsXj89
— Momentum Podcast (@momentumpod) February 27, 2022
Cravens’ experience is good for two things:
- It is great insight into just how different the college game is from the high school level.
- It is a great reminder to remain humble and be prepared to eat dirt and chase cheeks at first. It only makes you better.
Cravens eventually went on to become a second round draft pick and played three years in the NFL.