Antonio Alfano is working towards one more shot at bigtime college football.
Antonio Alfano was once on top of the college football recruits in the nation, the former class of 2019 standout from New Jersey was ranked the top player in the nation and committed to Alabama. Four years later, Alfano is working part-time as a personal trainer and enrolled at a community college. But through it all, the unflappable defensive lineman says he has learned and matured along the way from the humbling moments that have marked his career.
And now, with a deeper outlook and appreciation for this opportunity, Alfano is hoping for one more shot at elite, Power Five level college football as he embraces this opportunity at Lackawanna as a necessary step to get there.
Now at 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, Alfano still has the size to be an impact, interior defensive lineman. Both Rivals and 247Sports had him as a five-star recruit (ESPN had him as a four-star) coming out of Colonia High School (Colonia, N.J.). He held offers from Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State among dozens of others before committing to Alabama and head coach Nick Saban.
He left during his freshman season at Alabama and eventually enrolled at Colorado. Turmoil followed him there with Alfano getting suspended and leaving the program
Now, after several years away from football, Alfano landed at Independence Community College Kansas. He now is closer to home at Lackawanna, located in Scranton, PA and determined to get back to the level he once was at.
It has been a long road and at times a trying one for Alfano. But one where he now says he can appreciate and embrace each hurdle as part of a path of growth and development.
“In all, these experiences have humbled me. They showed me why the legends are legendary. Showed me the work it takes to get there,” Alfano told Rutgers Wire.
“But (it) also showed me when you start thinking too much of yourself and think you’re invincible, how quickly God will humble you to your knees and that’s exactly what happened.”
At this point in his life, four years removed from high school, Alfano was supposed to be in the NFL and a first round draft pick. Watch his film from high school and it was clear why he was a five-star recruit. He was, simply, a man among boys. He always played with that edge that college coaches crave and an intensity that stood out.
He was a wrecking ball on the field, throwing ball carriers around and shoving blockers aside in an almost non-chalant way.
But instead of life in an NFL locker room as a rookie, Alfano is readying for two remaining years of college football. This fall at Lackawanna represents that first step in what he hopes is an eventual return to a program in the FBS.
Some schools are talking with him and expressing an interest, like Northern Arizona and Tennesssee-Martin. He hopes that his play on the field this fall will solidify himself in the eyes of college coaches.
At Alabama and Colorado, he lived the life of a Power Five recruit. State of the art facilities and cafeterias with food plans tailored for his needs. Everything was catered towards his success in those two stops. Now, things are different.
To help pay for tuition, Alfano is working a partime job as a personal trainer at an LA Fitness this summer near his central New Jersey hometown. Some might see it as a fall from grace.
For Alfano, he sees it as a redemption tour, a chance to come back bigger and better.
Alfano committed to Alabama at the height of their success under Saban, taking his talents from New Jersey to the juggernaut program. And in transferring to Colorado, Alfano sought to continue playing for Mel Tucker at Colorado.
Alabama came at a difficult time off the field for Alfano. Colorado ended up being a disaster as Tucker left the program for
Michigan State just weeks after Alfano arrived.
All opportunities, he says, to sharpen the iron in his life.
“Alabama gave me grit. I played there and everyone wants to be there. I played against the best and beat the best so anyone that stands in front of me now I kind of carry that chip on my shoulder on wanting to show them why I was the best of my class to go there,” Alfano said.
“Just being around so much talent and the greatness of coach Saban. Seeing how he runs a championship program and what it takes to get there. Alabama showed me what a true winning team is supposed to be like. Showed me why some people make it and why some people don’t.”
“And Colorado, honestly, just taught me if I’m picking a school never go for a coach or coaching staff just because you have a good relationship with them. Coaches come and go all the time. And that was my mistake when I had gone and got recruited by Mel Tucker and he leaves a month into me getting there and coach Dorrell (former Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell) came in and we didn’t have the slightest connection.”
Alfano’s current goal sees Lackawanna as a stepping stone towards what he hopes is a return to the big-time world of college football. He will play at Lackawanna this fall, which will leave him with one year of eligibility remaining to take to another program.
Having been used to the posh excess of places like Tuscaloosa and even Colorado, it might seem that Lackawanna and junior college football might be a culture shock for Alfano.
He is instead thankful for Lackawanna and not bitter about it. He realizes that this might well be his one shot to pursue his dreams of playing Power Five football again.
“You know I wouldn’t say it’s challenging. It’s more of a mental thing,” Alfano said.
“You realize where you once were before and see everything you could’ve had if you stayed on that path. But God has a plan for everyone and I believe his plan for me is bittersweet. I had to go through what I went through to now understand myself better and it actually helped me become a better player. Just had to get out of my head and stop thinking so much and just play the game. I became more aware of myself.
“Being a highly ranked recruit and playing where I have played, I was able to compete against the best of the best and while being there, I didn’t realize the potential I had. I just had to stop thinking so much about what others do and focus on myself because you can’t control others, only yourself. And once I realized that my game elevated. So if anything, it’s helped me in a lot of ways.”.
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