Stephen Alli of University of Florida Gators. Photo: Sheldon Barrocks

Recently I had a one-on-one conversation with Canadian Stephen Alli, a red-shirt freshman wide receiver with the University of Florida Gators football team, who discusses among other topics why he enrolled at a Virginia prep school, life in big time college football, and his advice to Canadians wanting to earn a football scholarship down south:

Sheldon: How did the opportunity become available for you to go to Prep school in New Hampshire?
Stephen Alli: I played AAU basketball with a team called Nike Team Takeover and the coach from Proctor (prep school) had seen me and other players in several competitions so he offered me an academic/athletic scholarship to play basketball.

Sheldon: In attending Proctor Academy was your main goal to get more exposure in attempts to land an athletic or an academic scholarship?
Stephen Alli: The main goal in going to Proctor was to get more exposure for an athletic scholarship for basketball and when I started playing football there more opportunities opened up.

Sheldon: You excel in several different sports, why did you choose to play football over the others?
Stephen Alli: I chose the sport that I enjoyed the most and the sport I thought I could excel the most in the future.

Sheldon: Describe the high school football experience down in the U.S.
Stephen Alli: It was different than playing in Canada but there were still several similarities.

Sheldon: Is there a pro or college receiver that you enjoy watching most?
Stephen Alli: I've always enjoyed watching Chad Ochocinco (formally Johnson) and he's still my favourite player. Not only does he have 'swag' but he has great work ethic that most people don't see because they're caught up with the media around him.

Sheldon: You run a 4.38 sec. 40 yard dash. Were you naturally fast growing up or is this something you’ve worked towards? If so, what type of training did you do to increase your speed?
Stephen Alli: The majority of my speed was natural, but I'm always working to maintain and increase my speed.

Sheldon: What made you decide to attend the University of Florida?
Stephen Alli: It was the best school for me that had great academics and football team. It was where I thought I would excel the best.

Sheldon: How has your first year on campus been?
Stephen Alli: It has been a really good year, a lot of new experiences. Football and school went really well.

Sheldon: Is the D1 college football life as glamorous as it’s made out to be here in Canada?
Stephen Alli: Some parts of it are "glamorous" but nothing goes without hard work, regardless if you are a starter or a scout team player. Everyone puts in the same amount of work to receive the benefits of being at a major D1 school.

Sheldon: What have you learned from playing under coach Myer and playing with the 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow this season?
Stephen Alli: I've learned a lot from the coaches and not just Tebow, but other seniors and players on the team. I'm developing into a great player at Florida and I look forward to being a significant contributor on the team in the future.

Sheldon: What career are you pursuing outside of sports?
Stephen Alli: I hope to enter the medicine field. Perhaps a surgeon of some sort but I'm not sure right now. I still have a long way to go.

Sheldon: What can Canadian high schools do to improve their football programs?
Stephen Alli: Fund sport programs more. Have Canadian teams play American teams. Recruit players and the country as a whole needs to support athletics more.

Sheldon: What’s the single most important piece of advice you can give to those in Canada that want to play at the NCAA D1 level?
Stephen Alli: If you're good enough you will end up in the right place. But you have to put yourself out there because most college coaches don't really come to Canada to recruit. You have to be your own salesman. Participate in U.S. athletic events and send film to the places you want to go.

**Sheldon writes for Dash 40 Blog, a blog dedicated to covering amateur football in the GTA.***
http://dash40.blogspot.com