Logan Budd
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By Terry Betterton
Logan Budd did not have to go to the post office, stand in line, and pay a fee to get a passport. He did not cross a border into a foreign country. It just seems like it.
Really, it's only only a 12-mile drive, a straight shot up Highway 1 from Morro Bay High School to the Cal Poly campus. It might as well have been a 12-hour flight from Indonesia, where the culture is as foreign as the one Budd was about to face in the summer of 2008.
At Morro Bay High, Budd was "The Man." He did everything on the football field. As a senior, the heralded quarterback completed 55.6 percent of his passes, threw for 1,668 yards and 16 touchdowns with only one interception, leading the Pirates to an 11-1 record and a Los Padres League championship.
But, that wasn't all. He rushed for 1,360 yards and another 22 touchdowns. He also handled the punting (40.3 average) and place kicking chores (44 PAT and seven field goals). For the season, he averaged 7.5 points and 253.3 yards of total offense.
Once, again, that was not all. Budd also played defense, intercepting nine passes and recording 18 tackles.
The awards and recognition piled up at an almost ridiculous rate: most valuable player in the PAL as well as the CIF Southern Section; a first team all-state selection by CalHiSports.com; San Luis Obispo Tribune's player of the year.
His high school coach, John Andree, calls Budd, "The best high school player I have ever been associated with." And, Andree has been at it for more than 20 years.
So, naturally, Budd made an immediately successful jump to college football. Right?
Well, not exactly. It has been more like a side trip to a foreign county where high school awards are as common as swine flu warnings.
Last year, his first at Cal Poly, Budd was a member of the Scout Team, the reserves that serve as practice dummies, running the opposing team's offense and defense so the real players have an idea of what to expect when they get on the field on Saturday.
This is not to diminish the role of the Scout Team. Preparing teammates for games is a thankless, but valuable contribution. But, let's face it, it's the job of players who seldom see the playing field during games.
Budd practiced every day, did all the weight lifting, went to all the meetings, and did all the work. But, he did not play a down in a game. He spent an entire year proving himself without any reward. He began this season as the fourth safety on a four-man Cal Poly depth chart.
So, the guy who rarely left the field in high school, went more than a year without getting in a game. Sure, he was a football player, but in practice only. Budd did not get into a game against guys with different colored helmets from December of 2007 until Sept. 12 of this season. He played in the final minutes of Cal Poly's overwhelming 38-19 victory over Sacramento State.
But, Budd did not pout about a lack of playing time. He did not complain about being a second thought. He did not fall into the trap of discouragement..
"I got down, sure," he said. "But, it's not like I wasn't playing football because I was practicing every day and I still like playing football. It was difficult, but it also was motivating."
Instead of stewing in self pity, Budd used his first experience of not being "The Man" into an opportunity. He set goals of getting on the field in games, making the travel squad, and being a bigger part of the team.
Budd admits that his first taste of college football was an education. The players are bigger, faster, stronger, and more experienced than those he played with and against at Morro Bay.
"The first thing you notice is the speed of the game," Budd said. "I had to figure things out, how to take better angles to get to the play. I also learned that the game is much more physical."
So, Budd began the process of learning from those bigger, faster, more experienced players. Instead of looking at starting safety David Fullerton, an All-Great West Conference selection last year, as someone to beat out, Budd began looking at him as an example.
"Last year, I got an opportunity to watch the way some very good players do their work, their technique," Budd said. "David's footwork is impressive. I've seen it in practice and I've seen it on film."
There have been other factors in Budd's growth as a player and a person. As a high school quarterback, he has an offensive perspective that is valuable to a defensive back. Being part of a team is something he appreciates and he believes his faith in God helped him through his trials.
"God helped me get through it," Budd said. "Being part of a team has been a blessing. This is a great group of guys. We do everything together – eat together, do a bible study together – I like being part of this."
Actually, according to Cal Poly coach, Tim Walsh, Budd's experience is not unusual, but the norm for college football players. They were all exceptional high school players, but must go through the normal growing process.
"It's a natural progression," Walsh said. "Logan was a better high school football player as a senior than he was as a junior. He is a better football player today than he was a year ago. We expect him to be an even better player next year.
"It's extremely difficult to move to the next level. Most college players don't play until their junior or senior seasons. Logan has a bright future. We would like him to work on his speed, but he has tenacity and a solid work ethic.
"From our perspective, he is doing all the things he needs to do, the right things, and that's a complement to Logan. He has the respect of his coaches and teammates."
There are signs that Budd's time on the Scout Team and time observing what others do, is paying off. Because of injuries, he had moved up to the second spot on the depth chart. That means Logan Budd is now practing against the Scout Team. |
