February 1, 2017
On the first Wednesday of every February, high school seniors across the country have their dreams come true as they sign a binding National Letter of Intent to play football for a college that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). On the morning of February 1, one student made his dream become a reality.
Surrounded by family, friends, coaches, and the principal, Sage McBride signed his Letter of Intent to play at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVa-Wise). Although McBride has been playing football since first grade, he says that continuing his football career in college wasn’t his goal until three years ago.
“At first, I didn’t want to play college ball but I thought [that] I’m going to miss football too much out of high school so I might as well go for it,” he said.
With offers from several other schools (Virginia Military Institute, the College of William and Mary, James Madison University, and Concord University), McBride had a tough decision to make in order to decide where he would spend the next four years.
“We made a trip up to a game at UVa-Wise and I liked the small campus area. I just kind of fell in love with the campus when we got there: small campus, up in the mountains, really a home atmosphere. The team’s offensive line coach won two super bowls for the Patriots [and] blocked for Barry Sanders, and I really like the guy. He’s a genuine offensive line coach and I’m going to learn a lot from him.”
Although he did decide on one of the schools closer to home, McBride claims that he didn’t worry about the location of the schools. He “just wanted to go to a good school where I’d know I’d get a great education and play some ball.”
McBride has moved twice before coming to Tunstall and he said, ” I definitely had to step my game up no matter where I [went] because there are excellent athletes fighting for a scholarship everywhere you go.”
Despite his relocation, McBride said he has no regrets regarding moving to Tunstall.
“I love Coach Potts and Coach Hunsicker. They’re both excellent coaches and have really brought out my talent.”
Although McBride has played guard for most of his high school career, UVa-Wise plans for him to play tackle due to his long body and great feet. The school says he is currently at a good weight, but McBride plans to put on a few p0unds in the future to “bulk up.”
McBride doesn’t only have the intention to play football in college, but he also wants to study Biology and Pre-med. Eventually, he plans to graduate with a degree in sports medicine so he can open up his own training facility and rehab center for athletes.
While McBride has many supporters, he says his parents are his biggest fans.
“[My parents] are the ones who have taught me everything I need to know about the world and everything I need to know for the future. They’ve always supported me in every decision I’ve made and there’s no other people I can thank more than my parents.”
After signing with UVa-Wise, he said, “This day means I finally made it. I worked my tail off for so many years to get where I’m at now and I couldn’t be prouder.”
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