Catholic High Arkansas 2016 QB Andre Sale Discusses Commitment to Tennessee Tech

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Getting a scholarship offer for most is like winning the lottery, and in many ways can draw favorable comparison with the exception of skill, hard work, and countless hours of training. All the hard work and training will not guarantee a scholarship offer making the connection between a high school recruit and college coach leading to a scholarship offer a winning lottery ticket.

Little Rock Catholic Class of 2016 quarterback Andre Sale won the proverbial lottery and against stacked odds. No doubt Sale can play, but his opportunity to show off his skill set to earn the winning ticket(s) was put in jeopardy early during his senior year. A bad, a really bad, non-throwing arm injury in Week 2 of the season put Sale’s next level career in limbo.

Beyond the want to prove himself to college coaches for a scholarship, the 6’2”, 205 pound, quasi dual-threat missed just three games before returning to the field of play with a big cast on his arm. The return to the field was not out of fear of getting a scholarship offer, he had offers from Louisiana-Monroe and Tennessee-Martin on the table, but to lead his team into the playoffs – mission accomplished. The Rockets made the playoffs and Sale’s grit and determination ultimately landed him the scholarship offer to the program that fit him best – Tennessee Tech.

Tech saw the competitive fire and Sale helped his cause passing for 1,853 yards with 17 touchdowns. He also ran for 295 yards off 59 carries with four additional scores in just eight games.

Sale was a silent commitment to Tennessee Tech on Saturday but announced his decision to the public on ESPN radio – Fayetteville radio station with host Jason Kilburn on Sunday.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Sale after his on-air commitment to get the inside scoop on how his commitment to Tennessee Tech went down.

Interview

Andre, congratulations on your commitment to Tennessee Tech.

“Thank you.”

You visited Cookeville over the weekend. The visit must have gone well. Can you give me the rundown on how the trip played out?

“We had a weekend packed full of fun and adventure. We left Arkansas on Thursday to get ahead of the snow storm. Friday afternoon, we ate dinner with the coaches. They treated me special the whole time. Then they took us players and showed us around. Later they had a little party in the basketball arena. The arena looks like a big time arena. That was fun. After that we went out with our hosts. Most of the places were closed because of the snow but we still had fun.

“Saturday morning we woke up and then I met with Coach Satterfield. He went over his goals for the future and that was the point where I said to myself this is the guy I want to play for in college. I started thinking about committing during our meeting. We did a campus tour after that. There was still snow all over so a lot of the places were not open. Even everything was covered in snow we had a great time.”

What did you guys do on Saturday night?

“After the tour, we went to our hotel and rested. Then they got all the recruits into one room and we played Xbox. One of the coaches called me aside and asked me to commit. He told me, “I know how these kids look at you. If you do commit, I think they will follow you.” I thought Sunday morning was going to be a better time. I went down stairs and committed to Coach Satterfield. They were right, four guys committed on Saturday and then five more committed on Sunday. It was a domino effect.”

When you committed, and everyone found out, what was the atmosphere like among the recruits and coaches?

“Coach Satterfield was in there with all of us, the whole place was going crazy. It was an awesome atmosphere.”

So you silently committed on Saturday but you publicly committed on Sunday, right?

“Yes, I committed on Jason Kilburn’s radio show. He wanted me to announce it on his radio show and then I tweeted it out. Announcing on his show made it real special. I was grateful.”

You have a short window of time, but are you going to start recruiting others to join you?

“Yes sir. We have a really good foundation. We have nine commits. The coaches have only been there for a week or two. It’s a testament to Coach Satterfield and the staff and what they are putting together at Tennessee Tech.

“I’m going to be reaching out to other guys. They’ve given me some names. I’m doing whatever they need within what they want.”

What are you going to do to celebrate your commitment with your family?

“I will celebrate on Signing Day, once it is all over. We’ll definitely celebrate but I don’t know what we will be doing. Catholic High will make a big deal about it. I can’t wait for that.”

Andre, again, congratulations on your commitment to Tennessee Tech and good luck.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Sale family; Andre at Tennessee Tech.