During the spring of his junior year of high school, DeMarkus Acy and a few teammates would pile into an SUV with their coaches. They’d drive from Dallas across the state of Texas to attend recruiting events and satellite camps, hoping for exposure and a chance to play college football.
Most players cracked jokes or listened to rap music on the long car rides, but Acy would sit in silence. He’d plug in his headphones and pour over highlights of all-pro defensive backs Sean Taylor and Ed Reed — a study session before taking the field in front of recruiters.