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The United Kingdom is not a country one would associate with producing college football players. The few that have been able to make it in the NFL went through the U.S. high school system, adapting themselves at an early age to the game.
Sam Fenton has gone against this, making history in the process. On Friday, the South Florida (USF) Bulls announced that Fenton had committed to the program, becoming the first quarterback who went to a U.K. school to play for Division I.
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But who is Sam Fenton, and how does his journey (and the journey of many past and future British players) differ from the thousands of U.S. freshmen who enter college?
Who is Sam Fenton?
Sam Fenton is currently 21 years old, which means that he's already a few years older than most of the freshmen at South Florida.
He started playing sports at a young age, but his passion for football (or as those from the U.K. would call it "American Football") is only a few years old. This passion led him to join his local team as a quarterback.
This is one of the major differences between the U.K. and the USA in terms of football. While in the U.S., the sport is embedded into the school system, with players representing their school in front of large crowds, which is non-existent in the U.K.. Schools there do have sports teams, but the competitions they play in don't get any attention, not even a mention in the school newsletter.
However, due to the rising popularity of the NFL in the U.K., there are numerous local teams that people can play for. This is what Fenton did (joining the U19 Cobbham Cougars) and got spotted by the national team. His success with the Great Britain U19 team caught the eye of the NFL Academy, which boosted his career.
What is the NFL Academy, and how has it helped Sam Fenton?
The NFL Academy is a U.K.-based academy that provides potential players with both an education and training, to prepare them for a Division I U.S. college. They also play occasional matches against local teams and U.S. high schools. These games are normally held the day before NFL International Series games.
The NFL Academy is seen as the best way to get to a Division 1 School, and numerous players have been able to head to the state to play for the likes for Ole Miss, Michigan State and Arkansas.
Sam Fenton joins this list, but becomes the first ever quarterback to commit to a U.S. college from the academy.
His playing status remains uncertain, but one day, a Brit could be throwing the winning touchdown to send a team to a bowl game or even a conference championship.
