"He makes a lot of tackles on kickoff," Dempsey said. "He'll yell at the guy [after making a tackle], 'I'm a wide receiver!' "
On the diamond
A fifth-round draft choice by the Cubs this year, Szczur said he really enjoyed playing baseball for a living. The Cubs, realizing they are in a competition, treated him more like a first-round draft choice, bringing him to Wrigley Field for a game. Szczur met Eddie Vedder and John Cusack sitting right in front of him, and caught a foul ball. He tossed it back behind him, telling an incredulous buddy, "Man, I'm not a fan. I could be on the field in three or four years."
Last spring, Szczur got a $100,000 signing bonus from the Cubs but he gets another $500,000 next February if he chooses baseball over football. This whole experience really gave him a new outlook, he said. He could see himself playing pro baseball.
That said, Szczur's thinking is that football offers him an immediate chance to make the big leagues, and draw a big-league salary. If he stayed healthy and played well, he'd probably be on his second NFL contract by the time he reached the major leagues in baseball, Szczur said.
"It's a no-brainer, financially," he said.
And he believes in himself. Sort of the same way he's convinced his bone marrow has kept that anonymous little girl alive. He doesn't consider himself any kind of hero for donating. What kind of person wouldn't? Szczur was ready to miss a playoff game last fall if the donation had gone off as originally planned. As it turned out, he missed 10 Villanova baseball games in the spring.
On the football field, he's a favorite for national player of the year in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). He was a first-team all-American last season. Preliminary NFL draft projections have him as high as the third or fourth round. From there . . .
"Just a confidence thing - if I get into a camp, I'm going to make a team," Szczur said.
When NFL scouts show up at Villanova, the coaches will tell them the exact same thing: You will want him on your team.
"There will be times at practices, you yell his name just to watch him run over," Flinn said. "Kids don't always do that anymore. That's him. He's as coachable as it gets. You say, 'Hey, sit up straight.' He snaps up like it's his first day."
Contact staff writer Mike Jensen at 215-854-4489 or mjensen@phillynews.com
