Dudinski to transfer schools as soon as possible

By Mike McDonald
Collegian Editor
December 5, 2007

One year ago, the Virginia AA High School Football Player of the Year didn’t expect this.

He didn’t expect to go 0-10, he didn’t expect to be splitting time at running back and he certainly didn’t expect his team to be non-existent after just one season.

But that’s exactly what freshman Deric Dudinski got. After a long, frustrating season, he and his teammates suddenly had no team to play on.

“To me, it came as a surprise,” Dudinski said. “It’s like they’re saying that they’re settling for less; they’re saying ‘Well, we’re always going to lose, so we’re just going to give up.’”

The decision to drop the program was handed down Nov. 19, only two days after the final game of the season. So, the players’ focus must shift immediately from trying to win games to trying to find somewhere to go.

“I’m making goals for next year, and then two days after the last game, I find out that now I’ve got tO recruit; now I’ve got to get tapes out; now I’ve got to find out where I’m going; now I’ve gotta figure out if I’m staying here academically or if I need to pursue my options otherwise at a different school, so it was like all hell broke loose,” Dudinski said.

The process of finding a school to transfer to is not an easy one. But because Dudinski went through the recruitment process last year, he can revisit some of the same contacts he had then. As soon as La Salle made the decision to discontinue football, he sent out e-mails to all of the schools that had been interested in him coming out of high school. Because of this, he has been able to set up some meetings and visits.

“As soon as the semester’s done, I’m going to visit some coaches, go to some schools, and pretty much just start the recruiting process all over again,” Dudinski said. “I’ve talked to a couple schools, like Shepherd (in West Virginia), Iona, Ursinus, Widener, James Madison and William and Mary. I’m looking at a lot of schools that are either in-state or close to home.”

There were several things that initially drew Dudinski to La Salle. A strong business program, a pleasant environment and a good vibe from the players all made him very interested in becoming an Explorer. What also got his attention was the opportunity to play as a freshman.

As the season progressed, however, Dudinski didn’t find himself getting the playing time that he had hoped for.

“I was put on kick return, and then I played some on offense as well,” Dudinski said. “It was a good way to gain experience, but at the same time, they didn’t exactly stick with one running back.”

Dudinski led the team with 290 rushing yards on the season. He and fellow freshman Rayvon Williams (158 rushing yards on the season) split the playing time as running back, and this made it difficult for both of them to be productive.

“It’s kind of hard when you play for a series, and then you get taken out and don’t go back in until two series later,” Dudinski said. “You’re fresh, but you’re not in a rhythm, you’re not loose, and you don’t know what the defense is like, so I feel like that was the downfall.

“It felt like to me that I wasted a year. I felt like if I was only doing kick return, and that was the main thing I was in for, then I should have been redshirted. Splitting time the whole season with somebody [wasn’t ideal]. They should have [decided on] one back. If I would have known [it was going to be like] that ahead of time, I would have gone to a place where I knew that I would be a starter for sure.”

Even though he has some regrets about his individual experiences on the field at La Salle, Dudinski realizes that some of his teammates may have more to worry about than he does.

“For me, it’s not as bad because I have three years left,” Dudinski said. “But for the juniors who are going to be seniors, they have to find a place that, if they’re going to go for football, they have to be guaranteed to play. If not, are you going to redshirt and sit out another year? And a lot of people have internships, so they have to think about that before leaving, so it’s tough for me, but overall I feel more for the juniors.”

Many of the underclassmen for the Explorers will be suiting up for different schools next year, and despite the fact that the team wasn’t very successful on the field, the relationships the players have created off the field are tough to leave behind.

“Everybody’s separating, going different ways,” Dudinski said. “Probably the one thing I’ll miss the most are the friendships that I’ve started in college, and now we’ve got to start all over again, building new friendships while we try keep up with the old ones.”

mcdonaldm2@lasalle.edu