Diego Solis is a freshman on the University of Chicago football team and he's been through a lot to make it to where he is today. Through suffering injuries and making big decisions, Diego spoke with us about why he chose to attend a Division III program over many Division I options.

Injury

As a high school sophomore, Diego suffered from a broken collarbone in three separate spots during the second to last football game of the season, missed his sophomore basketball season in the winter, and was not able to play in the first 7 on 7 tournaments in the spring. This injury ultimately set Diego a spot back in the quarterback depth chart, resulting in him making the transition to wide receiver. But Diego's difficulties didn't stop there.

COVID

After a breakout season at wide receiver his junior year, Diego began to get attention from college scouts. However, going into his senior season, California high schools were unable to have a fall football season due to the COVID outbreak. As many other states had fall seasons, Diego and the rest of recruits in California were unable to showcase their skills until the spring. Before his spring season, he had offers to Army, Air Force, Davidson, and Chicago but was unable to go on visits due to the pandemic.

Related: Georgetown's Zach Geddes on What It Takes to Play DI Lacrosse

Decision

With multiple Division I offers on the table, Diego decided to sign with the University of Chicago, a Division III program based on the academics that Chicago had to offer. Football can only take you so far in life, and for Diego, it took him to a place where he could strive academically and set himself up well for the future.

Advice

Diego's first piece of advice was to respond to any and all coaches that reach out to you. You may not be interested in a school at first but learning more about the school and what it has to offer is the only way to know for sure. He also says that academics are key for high school athletes, and that starts well before the recruiting process.

“Stay on your academics from the beginning of high school till the end,” he advised “College coaches will look at your cumulative GPA rather than just your junior or senior year grades. Staying on top of your school work at a young age will help you out in the future.”

Follow Diego on Instagram: @daygo_daygo

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* Originally published on April 14, 2022, by Finn Rice