Potential.
When you step through the door to the next level, it’s all you have.
After dominating at high school, you start at zero in university.
Springbank Community High School Phoenix 2014 grad Micah Teitz brought tons potential into the University of Calgary Dinos football locker room. Enough, in fact, to earn playing time in his rookie season at U of C. He was tracking down ball carriers and spying the quarterback in Canada West University Athletic Association play against University of Regina Rams Oct. 4 at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium. Dinos won 59-7.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker is bringing his seek-and-destroy brand of football to the Dinos, racking up seven tackles and two sacks in four CWUAA appearances this season.
It’s a big step up from Springbank High to the bright lights of university ball at one of the top football programs in the nation.
“I’m learning new stuff every week,” Teitz says. “At the beginning it’s getting used to the speed of the game and how it increases. It’s split-second timing.
“But I feel like I’m starting to get used to it and starting to be able to make an impact on the team. It’s been good.”
Dinos head coach Blake Nill is closely monitoring Teitz’s progress. The Phoenix grad arrived at U of C with a deep dossier of high school success and an abundance of raw skill.
“From Day 1, he’s done well in some components of the game,” Nill says of Teitz. “He came in here – he’s better against the run. He’s a decent pass-rusher. Now he’s learning how to recover a little better so he’s on the field a little bit more. He’s developing. In his first year, he’s doing what we thought he’d be able to do, and that’s compete and contribute somewhat.”
With just four university games under his belt, Teitz is a work in progress. He covers and tackles larger, faster players in schemes coached to isolate and expose any rookie weaknesses in a defence.
He’s coming along.
“What I expect to see out of Micah is a maturity and continued growth,” Nill assesses. “We want him to fully commit to our approach. That’s generally what we do with our young men. Once they buy into all this stuff and once they learn how to play the game, their potential usually comes forward.”
The process is well underway, and Teitz is finding his stride.
“I’m starting to get used to it,” Teitz surmises. “I’m starting to figure out all the offences and stuff like that.”
A quick study will get you that much more comfortable that much sooner at the next level.
