Every summer at every Big 12 school, true freshmen step on campus with visions of making a difference during their first season. For some freshmen those visions will become a reality, for others their dreams will be put on hold for a year or more as redshirting becomes the best option.
And often the strength-and-conditioning coach is the first to know which path each freshman will take.
“Each year I can tell you one or two guys within one week who are freshmen that are going to help right away or not,’ said Rudy Wade, Iowa State’s director of strength and conditioning.