KALAMAZOO, MI - The increase in competition level from high school to Division I football is most apparent in the trenches, where 300-pound maulers on the offensive and defensive lines try to impose their will on each other.
With little experience in a college weight room, it's rare for true freshmen to see the field along the lines, especially on the interior, where brute strength is more important than natural speed.
Defensive tackle Steven Clark managed to buck the trend and earned playing time in each of his team's 12 games as a true freshman at Syracuse University in 2015, before staring nine games as a sophomore.