Majors eager to make his mark at Villanova

COREY MAJORS didn't want to spend a year after high school at Worcester (Mass.) Academy. He would much rather have gone from Neshaminy High directly to Villanova as planned.

And why not? The linebacker was considered to be one of the Wildcats' better recruits. Maybe even the best. A year later, he still is. It's just that now he'll be coming in with a different class.

Turns out, it probably was the best thing that could have happened to him.

"It was an eye-opener," said Majors, one of 18 players expected to sign a national letter of intent with Villanova today. "Once I got up here, it didn't take long for me to figure out that I might not have lasted in college if I'd gone there a year ago. This place has given me everything I needed, in terms of restructuring how I learned, my study habits, using my time, stuff I never really took seriously enough before. So instead of just doing enough to get by, I had to really start working at it. There's a big difference.

"When I first met the head coach, David Dykeman, he explained to me that I may not think this is what I want to do, or needed to do. And it may be that I was going to hate it. But at some point, you'll begin to realize how much it's going to help you when you do get to college. And that I'd be thankful and appreciative for doing it. I can still remember him telling me that. And I'm definitely reaping the benefits."

He still played football, for a team that went 5-3. But for him and most of his teammates, it obviously wasn't about getting better on the field. They were there for a reason. And they were in it together, which made the transformation that much smoother.

"My first thought was, 'I'm going to be the only one like me up there,' " said Majors, who also had some Division I-A scholarship offers. "I was worried that I was going to have an attitude about everything. But I found out that there were a number of people in my exact situation. We all just clicked. It's always good to know you're not in something by yourself.

"Up here, you have so much time on your hands. You can use it in a good way or a bad way. They teach you how to use it so you don't fall through the cracks. But it's up to you to listen to what they're saying . . .