Comeback Kid: Sposito recovers, playing college ball

There was once a time when Ben Sposito thought he’d never play football again.

But now, he’s balling at the college level.

Sposito is a freshman backup quarterback at Beloit College in Wisconsin – a small, liberal arts school that competes at the NCAA Division III level.

For Sposito, the opportunity to play at the next level is a blessing – one which he said he’s thankful for every day.

Sposito said his goal is to continue to get better – both on the field and in the classroom so that he can be the best student and athlete that he can be every day.

“I really like going to school at Beloit College, because there are small class sizes and there is a wide variety of students from many different cultures that come here. The exposure to all of the different cultures is unique and exciting, and the exposure is helping me to grow as a person by understanding where and how people live.”

For Sposito, being a college athlete looked uncertain for a while.

It had nothing to do with ability.

As a multi-year starting quarterback at E.D. White, Sposito was a force with both his arm and legs.

As a junior, Sposito took the area by storm, helping lead the Cardinals to an 8-4 record and a berth in the Quarterfinals of the State Playoffs.

In that season, the quarterback made countless big plays, leading the Cardinals to victories over area rivals Vandebilt, St. James and Assumption.

After that season, Sposito said he attended the Texas Select Clinic in Arlington – a camp which hosted elite quarterbacks from around the country.

At that camp, Sposito said he made contact with Beloit offensive coordinator Jake Marshall, which sparked a relationship that ended up being valuable later on.

“After my first day at the camp, I met (Marshall), and he talked to me and said he and the coaching staff were interested in me,” Sposito said. “We talked throughout the remainder of the camp and he kept in contact with me throughout my senior year and into the spring.”

The plan was for Sposito to parlay his productive summer onto the field and have a monstrous senior year for E.D. White in 2015.

It all started out OK, and the Cardinals got off to a blistering start to the season. They again beat Vandebilt, and started district play with a couple wins.

But then, adversity struck Sposito when he least expected.

In the sixth game of the season, Sposito took off on a scramble play against Thomas Jefferson.

After picking up a few yards, he veered out of bounds.

As he did, Sposito made contact with another player and then immediately felt pain in his left foot.

He didn’t think much of it at the time, but the pain gradually got worse, which took him from the game.

“I honestly didn’t know what happened,” Sposito said. “It was the beginning of the game, and I was just running out of bounds and someone landed on my foot the wrong way.”

A trip to the doctor brought sobering news. He had a torn Lisfranc ligament – an injury which would sideline Sposito for the rest of the season, ending his E.D. White career.

Sposito said news of the injury was depressing – the hardest thing he’s ever had to deal with in his career.

Sposito said watching his teammates play without him was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to deal with.

It was even more difficult, because the quarterback thought the injury meant the end to his hopes at being a college athlete.

Sposito said over time, he came to grips with the situation and tried to offer guidance to his teammates – an act which helped the Cardinals push to the playoffs again.

The quarterback said former E.D. White coach Kyle Lasseigne is who shifted his attitude and who showed him that there was still light at the end of the tunnel.

“I didn’t think a coach would want to recruit a player that was hurt – especially with an injury that takes extensive time to heal,” Sposito said. “At first, it was miserable to watch my team play without me. … But as soon as I decided to just accept my injury and contribute to my team in the way that I was able to, I tried my best to continue to be a leader and push the team to continue to become the best players they could be.”

And while doing that, Sposito made himself better, as well.

He rehabbed his injury in style, working hard to get himself in position to be 100 percent.

While doing that, Sposito stayed in contact with Beloit’s coaches, who were still interested in his services – even after the setback.

Sposito said he pulled the trigger and committed to the program this past spring. He joined the team over the summer and has been finding his way on the team’s depth chart ever since.

Sposito said he’s now 100 percent healthy, and he’s even seen playing time on the field for the Buccaneers in a couple games.

To get back so quickly, Sposito said, is a blessing.

Now, he’s focused on bettering himself every day so that he can become the team’s starter – an opportunity that may present itself next season.

“I’m currently the backup and I’m paying my dues and contributing to the team in the best way that I can while playing my role,” Sposito said. “Next fall, I plan to assume the role of our senior veteran quarterback and play the next three years at Beloit. I hope to become the best player I can be – all while receiving an excellent education.”

A possible three-year college starting quarterback.

That’s not too bad for someone who exactly one year ago thought he’d never play again. •

Ben Sposito

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