Choosing where he will play football in college for the next four or five years, Michael Slater made his choice to attend the University of Iowa over other Division I programs that were pursuing him to attend their school.
“I talked to (Assistant Coach) Jim Reid a lot and he wanted me there really bad,” Slater said. “It was just the coaches, the environment, and it felt good being there. It felt natural.”
Iowa started recruiting the offensive and defensive starter for about a year.
“They started contacting me right after the state game,” Slater said. “They wanted me to start coming to their camps, junior days, and spring games and stuff like that.”
The coaching staff at Iowa liked what they saw from Slater after driving four hours on two occasions where they interacted with him.
“(Graduate Assistant) Coach Pollizi came to school to talk to me face to face,” Slater said. “And when I went to the Iowa camp at Lindenwood, coach Jim Reid became my recruiting coach and that’s who I talk to more than anyone at Iowa, and that’s when I first met them.”
Although the coaches came to the St. Louis area twice, Slater’s recent visit to Iowa is when he became convinced he wanted to be a Hawkeye. He had a day full of activities: touring the facilities and locker rooms, having a one-on-one meeting with the head coach, meeting with assistant coaches, getting information about what makes a good college, meeting players, and watching how the players workout in the weight room.
Slater liked what he saw during his jam-packed day in Iowa City, where the university’s campus is located.
“Environment-wise, around the university it was really calm, really home-like,” Slater said. “There were a lot of friendly and kind people around. Football-wise, when I went to their practices and strength and conditioning programs, they were really live and energetic and stuff and they were passionate to be there and I just loved everything about it.”
Once Slater gets to Iowa, he won’t play on the offensive side of the ball, as he has through his high school career.
“They think that they want me to play outside linebacker and d-end where I can rush the quarterback when they need me to, and I also can drop back in coverage,” Slater said.
Although this is a new position that he has not played in high school, varsity football coach Mark Goldenberg thinks he will do well.
“I think he will do great at wherever they put him. I really do,” Goldenberg said. “He’s got the willingness to learn and he’s got the athletic ability and the strength.”
Goldenberg has seen Slater grow physically and mentally over Slater’s four years of varsity experience.
“I wish I could go back in a time machine and look at him,” Goldenberg said. “He was never little, but as a freshman he had so much to learn and he was always willing to learn and work and he worked really hard. He overcame a few things injury-wise as the years went.”
Injuries aren’t the only endeavors Slater has dealt with. He currently lives in a boys home where there are strict academic requirements. Senior Khahlil Stith, who lived in this boys home with Slater for a few years thinks that from their time there together to now, Slater has grown a lot.
“Mentally, he definitely matured,” Stith said. “When I first met him, we were all silly and we were young and laughing at immature things, but I noticed how he handles certain situations now, how he carries himself is different,” Stith said. “I can say he really changed a lot, and all I can say is that I’m really proud of him.”
Stith has also noticed how Slater has grown physically.
“Physically man, he just continues to surprise me,” Stith said. “He just gets bigger every year. I don’t know how it’s possible but he just continues to grow.”
Goldenberg and Stith both attribute the 6-foot 3-inch, 265-pound man’s size to his work in the weight room. Stith, though, also has seen Slaters eating habits.
“He eats. His stomach never ends,” Stith said. “But he’s dedicated to the gym as well. They both contribute to his size.”
