OF all the adjustments Adam Gotsis will have to make to play US college gridiron, the biggest change will be playing in front of a crowd.
The former Monash University Warrior has committed to a gridiron scholarship with Georgia Tech in the gridiron hotbed of Atlanta, Georgia.
Georgia Tech, known as the Yellow Jackets, play at the 56,000 seat Bobby Dodd Stadium and, when the venue reaches capacity next season, Gotsis doesn’t know how he will react.
‘‘It will be pretty crazy,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve never played in front of even 5000 people before. It will be a big, big change.’’
The 19 year old, who stands 200centimetres and about 110 kilograms, came to gridiron after trying his hand at Australian football.
He spent time with the TAC Cup’s Oakleigh Chargers in Melbourne at under-16 level before leaving Australian football and looking at other codes. ‘‘The game has moved away from the big guy’s role, ’’ he said. He believes players like former North Melbourne and Collingwood forward Saverio Rocca had no real position anymore in Australian football, which now demand quicker rather than strongly built players.
Gotsis looked at rugby but a flyer from the Monash University Warriors was all it took to get him to training and then he was hooked on gridiron.
‘‘As I got bigger I liked playing on the defensive line more, I liked tackling and hitting players.’’
Gotsis won the defensive most valuable player award for the Victorian gridiron league in the first season. He then won a spot in the the Australian senior team.
Soon after, his exploits drew the interest of US colleges — Hawaii, Baylor and some division 2 schools showed an interest in bringing him to the US.
But Gotsis said the Yellow Jackets showed the strongest interest, which led to the scholarship which he took up on Wednesday.
Gotsis is touted to play on the defensive line — the front four of the Yellow Jackets defence.
Gotsis is waiting to hear whether the Yellow Jackets will allow him to play this season or give him a ‘‘red-shirt’’ season in which he can train and study but not play while he gets used to the US style and pressure of play.
‘‘There are only four defensive tackles returning from last season and they are bringing in another three in that position,’’ he said.
‘‘So it will depend on how I look when we start training. But I might get to play and even sneak into the second-string position.’’
Gotsis has already received emails and Facebook messages from other Australians playing college gridiron.
At the same time, he has also received some less than friendly comments in stories posted on Atlanta’s news websites as some fans question why the Yellow Jackets have looked overseas instead of taking local high school talent.
‘‘They can say what they want to say,’’ Gotsis said. ‘‘None of them have seen me play. I will use it as motivation. It’s up to me to perform.’’
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