This day was never supposed to happen for Mason Halter.
In high school he had two offers, one from Fordham and another from Kent State, where his mother attended school. Many Division I football players have dreams of playing football professionally, but at a young age, Halter made a life decision, rather than a football decision and chose Fordham for their education. He would like to play football along the way, but he knew that Fordham would give him a better education and degree, something he would be able to use even after his playing days were done.
A case of mononucleosis sidelined him during his freshman year at Fordham. At the time it was the last thing that he wanted, but it’s part of the reason he’s in Gainesville. The Patriot League (where the Fordham Rams play) deemed that Halter’s ailment was not football related and would not grant him a medical redshirt. He went into his sophomore season still on half a scholarship.
An injury propelled Halter into the starting lineup as a sophomore. When the starting left tackle went down with a broken arm, the kid from Ohio was moved into the starting rotation and never looked back. Halter earned First Team All-American Honors as a junior and as a senior.
He graduated from Fordham but the success he had on the field and a desire to continue playing the game that he loved made him wonder what he could do. Could he still play football, even if it would only be for one more year?
With the help of graduate assistants at Fordham, Halter made a highlight tape of his three years playing at Fordham and sent it out to some schools. As a graduate, Halter would be able to play this season if he could find a graduate program.
Through coaching connections at Fordham and Florida, the highlight tape found its way on to Mike Summers’ desk. The longtime coach with more than three decades of experience saw something he could work with and the wheels were put into motion. Halter was offered — and accepted — a scholarship to the University of Florida.
An experienced lineman, Halter was asked to move from left tackle to right tackle. He’s played all over the Florida offensive line this season and has started all eleven games. His versatility helped the Florida Gators keep a healthy rotation of offensive linemen in the beginning of the season and has now helped Florida fill in for injured players late in the year.
Five years ago, Halter was a high school senior with one full scholarship offer and a partial scholarship to a FCS school. He chose education over football but his hard work and perseverance paid off. The kid that couldn’t get recruited as a high school offensive lineman will end his college career in front of more than 90,000 fans as a Florida Gator.
That’s a movie script even Hollywood wouldn’t buy.
Great article!- Thanks for being here Mason!