Former Spartan Austin Striplin discovers perfect fit during recruitment

In these first few weeks of the high school season, many stories are written about action on the football field. About how an athlete’s hope that their success can lead to greater success beyond this small stage in their life.

College recruiting is a time to dream for prep athletes, but it’s also one of the most stressful and confusing experiences any athlete can go through.

As September comes to a close and the extra outside noise begins to grow with the attention among the top local athletes, it’s always good to see that it’s not always what it seems.

In this one on one, Pacific Lutheran University sophomore center Austin Striplin, a Sumner High School grad, gives insight on some of the recruiting highs and as well as the letdowns it brings to many involved.

Expecting more

Back during his senior season at Sumner High, Striplin was considered one of Pierce County’s top two-way stars. As an outstanding middle linebacker and offensive linemen for the Spartans, Striplin earned league MVP honors (2A SPSL, 2013).

It was all but assured to Striplin that a Division I offer was coming his way.

“I really did think I was going to get an offer,” Striplin recalled last week. “I had a few schools come my way early on in the season … only small schools along the coast made me full-ride offers.”

Early on during Striplin’s senior season, Eastern Washington was in on the former Spartan, making it seem like his fallback plan.

As Striplin was in the middle of his league MVP season where Sumner claimed the league title, the bigger schools began to disappear.

“It was kind of strange. (Eastern Washington) was big on me at first, but they kind of disappeared during the season,” he said. “It was a weird feeling having a good high school career but not getting any offers. I really did think I was going to be playing Division I football.”

It’s the nature of the beast, as some say, as nothing is guaranteed — even with expectations as lofty as what Striplin had as a senior at Sumner.

The experience for Striplin didn’t go the way he wanted it to, yet that doesn’t have him worrying. Sometimes going into something can lead to the unexpected.

And the unexpected can be something great.

“No one was talking to me,” Striplin said about his late-season recruitment. “No one was talking to me, and then coach (Scott) Westering came to sit down with me … he had me wanting to play for him right after meeting him.”

It’s the power a great coach — or great individuals — have on people. For Striplin, it was his meeting with coach Westering that drew his attention to PLU and the program’s success over the decades.

Yet it wasn’t the idea of winning that drove Striplin toward this institution 13 miles west of Sumner.

“He didn’t say anything about football that had me wanting to go to PLU,” Striplin said. “It was the vision he had for me, you know, as a person. Where he saw I can go and how PLU and the football team can help me get there.”

Now entrenched as the starting center on the Lutes offensive line, Striplin is focused on maximizing himself within the complex offense PLU runs.

“There’s a lot of information to take in,” Striplin said. “I’m just focused on making sure I understand which man I have to block, or reading the defense for who’s coming in on a blitz. It’s a lot of pre-snap reads.”

Even though the Lutes are enjoying a week off from the season, it’s a busy time for the sophomore with school starting up.

Two years ago it was a hectic, frustrating and confusing September for Striplin. Not this year — not after he found where he needed to be.

“I’m happy with my choice. I didn’t look at PLU at first but it makes sense now,” Striplin said. “With it being close (to home), and the great education I’m getting and playing for a great football team, I couldn’t be happier with ending up here.”

This is the time of year where many athletes will be frustrated with the recruiting process. It’s cruel and only meant to improve a team.

Yet sometimes it’s the choices not perceived that change the experience. Striplin’s choice of Pacific Lutheran was unexpected.

And for him, that choice was perfect.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Former Spartan Austin Striplin discovers perfect fit during recruitment."