CARROLLTON, Ala. — The thought of being a “tackling dummy” or a designated blocker doesn’t bother Daniel Powell.
When you have grown up working on your parents’ farm, you’re accustomed to long hours and plenty of chores, so the idea of pushing yourself to be the best in one of the nation’s best programs certainly sounded like a dream to Powell. After all, national champion Alabama and coach Nick Saban could have their pick of the litter from anywhere in the United States. It didn’t occur to Powell, a standout linebacker and lineman at Pickens Academy, a Class AA school in the Alabama Independent School Association, that he really would get an opportunity to play college football at the highest level.
But intangibles like work ethic, drive, and dedication often don’t show up on a highlight tape or on a stat sheet. Those are some of the traits Alabama Director of Player Personnel Jody Wright saw in Powell. An invitation to a game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, led to a meeting with Saban that started a recruiting process that led to one thing after another.
On Thursday, Powell took the final step on that journey when he signed an offer to be a preferred walk-on at Alabama. Football teammate Chance Britt joined Powell in the ceremony by signing a scholarship to play football at Belhaven University in Jackson.
Powell talked with Pickens Academy football coach Josh Thacker about the road he would have to travel as a walk-on at Alabama. He understands he isn’t going to earn a lot of glamorous work and that it likely will take a few years for him to have a chance to earn playing time, but that’s OK because he is excited to be part of a national power.
“It was surprising,” Powell said. “I would never have thought I would get the opportunity. It didn’t cross my mind until it actually happened. All of the schools that were looking at me and offering me scholarships were all smaller schools, and I wouldn’t think DI Alabama, being who they are, would contact me, but they did. I am glad they did.”
Powell envisions being in the mix at H-Back, or fullback, or growing into a role on the defensive line. He said he wasn’t swayed by an immediate opportunity to play at another school or a chance to earn individual honors on another level. He said he knows it will take him time to have a chance to take the field, but he said he wanted to take on the challenge of realizing that goal.
“I knew if I didn’t do it I probably would regret it,” Powell said.
Britt said he had an offer from Waldorf College, a NAIA school in Forest City, Iowa, but he followed up after an initial contact with coaches at Belhaven. His decision re-opened the recruiting process and led to Thursday’s signing. Britt said he never had been to Belhaven and didn’t know much about the school before he went on his visit. He said he liked the coaching staff and the atmosphere on campus.
“I have always wanted to go play, but I never really thought about it when it came down to it,” Britt said. “It is great. I realized midway through the football season (that he had an opportunity to play football in college). I talked to coach (Thacker) about putting together a recruiting film, and he did a lot for us.”
On Feb. 11, Britt and Powell also were a part of the Pickens Academy powerlifting team’s overall state championship. It is the program’s first overall state title since 2007. Former football coach Lynn Wright, who is now the superintendent of schools in Lowndes County, was instrumental in building a powerlifting tradition at the school. It is the school’s first state championship since the girls basketball team won one in 2013.
Thacker, who also coaches the school’s powerlifting team, said Britt, Powell, Landon Hattaway, and Ryan Harcrow have been “catalysts” for a lot of the athletic success at the school the past few years. All four players were named AISA All-Stars in football for the West team for helping Pickens Academy win a first-round playoff game and finishing the season 6-6. He said it pains him that all four are graduating at the end of the school year, but he spoke with pride about the hard work and example all four have set in their careers at the school.
“When you’re calling coaches and you’re talking about the character of a young man and how he is going to benefit your program and four years from now what kind of man he is going to be, it is easy when you’re talking about guys like Chance Britt, Daniel Powell, Ryan Harcrow, and Landon Hattaway,” Thacker said. “You’re speaking from the heart. … They’re high-character guys. They’re going to be quality young men when they grow up.”
Britt won the 148-pound weight class, while Powell won the 232-pound class. Powell also set a state record in his weight class with a squat of 555 pounds.
Hattaway was second in the 165-pound weight class, while Harcrow won the 181-pound class.
Hattaway recently signed a $95,000 scholarship to attend aviation school at Louisiana Tech. Harcrow is expected to sign a football scholarship with Huntingdon College, a Division III school in Montgomery, Alabama.
Powell, who is 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, played a variety of positions for the Pirates, including middle linebacker, center, left guard, kicker, and fullback.
Britt, a 5-9 dual-threat out of the backfield, is expected to see a similar role at Belhaven, a member of the American Southwest Conference and the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Thacker expects Britt and Powell to make the transition to college. He acknowledged it might take Powell a little longer, especially if he redshirts like Powell said he believes he will in his first season in Tuscaloosa. But while waiting a year and then wondering if you’re going to get a chance to play would convince a lot of other players not to pursue a challenge, Thacker said Powell is different.
“He has a competitor’s heart,” Thacker said. “He has always had that. … You can tell in the weight room how he competes, conditioning how he competes, football how he competes. He plays basketball and he competes. He works hard every day.
“He loves when people tell him he can’t do something, or I don’t know if this is the right thing to do. It sets a fire off in him, which you love as a football coach. He wants to get it done, and you just love seeing that. That is how he always has been. It is not something I did. It is something he has had since I have been here.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
