There is a country up north that has been producing some of Europe’s top young talented football players. Sweden has been cranking out numerous talented ballplayers that are currently playing at the NCAA level. This list includes athletes such as Issac Moore- Temple University, Jordan Heath – Notre Dame University, and Robin Jutwreten, Anton Oskrasson, Sam Vreteman- all three at Rutgers University. This is just a minute list of names for the amount that has come out of Sweden. But as we all know, good talent does not simply grow on trees in Europe. Solid talent like this is bread in the heat of good competition and good coaching. This creates a consistent cycle of new talent every year rising up in Sweden. Emil Hovde is one athlete from Sweden that is already making some noise in his NCAA recruitment. Fresh off his first offer from Clarion University, we got a chance to hear from Emil.
This 6’3ft , 230lb athlete has only been playing the game of football for 4 years. Although he is fully aware that the game of football is not the most popular sport in Sweden. He has suggested that athletes that play football in Sweden simply hold themselves to a high standard. Judging off the performances of the Swedish national U19 and men’s team in both Euro tournaments , we would probably have to agree. Ball players in Sweden are serious about football. With that being said some clubs in Sweden still do lack consistent quality coaching. But one must wonder , how does a kid like Emil develop so well in Sweden?
I have most of my football experience from RIG Academy and the national team. RIG was the best thing to happen to my and I’m very thankful for my three years there. We definitely have D1 talent over here but lack of coaching and football experience stops some players from reaching their full potential.
Emil Hovde
Now college recruiting is an entirely different thing. Athletes all over the world now are competing for limited college football scholarship opportunities. Naturally, many athletes in the US do have a leg up on international athletes as they are simply directly under the noses of a college scout. Like many other athlete’s Emil’s recruitment process has not been easy and stress-free. But this has not hindered the drive of Emil Hovde, he currently holds two division one offers as his recruitment process remains open.
To get noticed here in Europe by college scouts, you need to have extreme physical abilities and a relentless work ethic to keep you going during times where your goal seems out of reach. If you pose those attributes and find someone with the right contacts, good things are bound to happen.
Emil Hovde
Emil accredits three main sources for his initial success in his recruitment process. Emil is thankful for his Greg Gibson- Defensivee of Coordinator for the Swedish U19 national team, his coaching staff at RIG academy, and Premier Players International for helping spread the word about his talent. Emil Hovde is an ELITE talent has a bright future ahead of him in the game of football!
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