Julio Rey is a Ventura College alumnus who played two years for our college as a right guard offensive lineman. Most of our student athletes in Ventura college play here in a junior college school to get better opportunities to take their athleticism to a higher level. Julio is one of those athletes that wanted to take that route in his journey.
I always wondered why athletes take the JUCO route and if it’s the best decision for them. I had the chance to get a one on one interview with Julio and I asked him why did he take this route and if it a good decision. He goes on by saying, “hitting the JUCO route was the best decision I have ever made. Lots of people look down on JUCO, but to me it was a big step and it meant everything to me.”
A lot of athletes do look down on junior colleges and think they can’t get a future out of it but that’s not the case. Ventura College has had over a thousands transfers which went on to play for a division 1 or division 2 school. Jaylen Watson, a two time Super Bowl champion from the Kansas City Chiefs, was one of them.
We talked more about what can be the down side when going through a junior college route and he mentioned injures. Julio has recently came back from an injury which he fractured his tibia and fibula during a game which took a toll on him mentally. Athletes go through so many injuries so I asked Julio, “how do you manage injuries or setbacks that affect your ability to perform?” In our interview he mentions, “injuries come with the sport unfortunately, but it happens to everyone. Rest is the key component to manage an injury,” which he isn’t wrong about. Although sports can come with injuries that will bring a setback in your career they also bring more strength to one. After Julio’s injury, he worked ten times harder to get that scholarship he deserves to continue to play football in a higher level. During the offseason he got a few offers to take his athleticism somewhere else, which he committed to Northeastern State University this year.
Athletes get many opportunities to play somewhere else, but what makes that one school different than the rest. I go on and ask Julio what made him pick Northeastern State University (NSU). He mentions how the coaching staff made him feel this is the best decision for him, “They have successful coaches who joined this year that have NFL and division 1 experiences. The school previously had losing seasons, so seeing this and my head coach being successful, can change the program. Chaffey College is a JUCO in Southern California which previously had a losing seasons ranging from 0-10 record in one year. My head coach from NSU went to Chaffey and caused them to have a winning season record of 11-0. He also was the assistant head coach at Colorado as the offensive coordinator and played with the Browns. Now he has made his life as a coach changing programs and players lives.”
Seeing how junior colleges can change one’s life and take them far is the best part one can witness. Our Ventura College football team had a record of 8-4, which made it to the championship in their conference but came up short. Our offensive lineman pushed over 2,700 rushing yards this season which made history in our football program. I had the great pleasure to interview Julio Rey and learned how much a junior college can change one’s life when wanting to take your athleticism to a higher level.
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