Sony Michel: Born To Play
October 08, 2015 | Football
Oct. 8, 2015
Beneath the Helmet: Sony Michel
Born to Play
By Anne Noland
Sony Michel didn't want to play football.
Perhaps that's because he began his career as an offensive lineman at the age of seven.
"Me and my brother played guard and tackle," Michel says. "I had No. 70. He had No. 71. It was the weirdest thing ever. We were just big. The coach didn't know how athletic we were. But we made the all-star team that year. So I mean that's a positive."
The problem was, he hated it. On the verge of quitting the sport at the start of his second season (and the meager age of eight), Michel suited up for the first day of full-pads practice as his last thread of hope. Maybe, he thought, a little contact would help him love football like his older brother Marken did.
He was right.
"When we did hitting drills, I went against the starting running back and I ran him over. From then, the coach saw that dang, this kid can play," he says. "So the next day, he tried me at running back and from then on, I just started playing running back."
Michel – and the Bulldog Nation – are thankful that he found his niche in the backfield. The sophomore tallied 516 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in his first season at Georgia, and he has added another seven scores on 424 rushing and receiving yards this year.
But his love for the game did not develop until after his firstcollege scholarship offer, his switch to running back or his first touchdown run.
"My eighth grade season was unexpected, just being young. I went out there just playing football, but I started scoring touchdowns. Once I started scoring touchdowns, people found it exciting that an eighth grader is out there playing varsity scoring touchdowns," he says.
That's when colleges began to show interest. Yet even then, it meant little to him. Michel didn't understand the hype. He didn't want it. He wanted something bigger than football – for his family to be happy.
Natives of Haiti, Michel's parents had immigrated to America after their first child, Sony's older sister Lamise, was born. The land of opportunity didn't provide immediate salvation from difficulty, however. Day-to-day life was a struggle for Michel and his family until his talent on the football field gave him a voice for change.
By his sophomore year of high school, he had become a hero in his hometown of Plantation, Florida. In that success, he was able to find jobs for his parents at his school as a janitor and cook, jobs they still hold to this day.
"That is when I realized that football can be more than just a game. It can be a way to open opportunities for me, my family and other people."
From opportunity, his love for football was born.
Michel began to understand the gift he had been given in his athleticism as his success on the field increased. He would be able to earn a college degree. The NFL became a realistic dream. Football would give him the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other people.
As Michel evaluated his options of where he would continue his education and his football career, he pushed aside the big promises, the allure and the hype that many programs tried to sell him. Instead, it was arelationship built on trust and honesty that drew him to Georgia.
"Coach B-Mac (Bryan McClendon) had a major impact just by me earning his trust and vice versa. The first day I met him, he told me straight up. He was honest with me throughout the whole process. He told me nothing would be given to me, and I kind of went for the bait," Michel says. "It was a tough decision – one of the toughest decisions I've ever made. But I think I made the best choice and I'm happy with it to this day."
Michel has come a long way from his days as an offensive lineman playing at the local park. Much has changed in his life and the lives of his family. His passion for the game has developed. Yet what has remained constant is his motivation.
"Really, I play football just to be able to help others. There are people that helped me growing up. I want to be able to help people that are not able to help me back," he says. "Playing at Georgia is a great opportunity. It means a lot. It almost makes me feel like I kind of can have a voice. Football players are kind of on a certain platform. So if I can change the world in one way, I feel like football is the closest way I'd be able to change the world."
Michel has come a long way from his days as an offensive lineman playing at the local park. Much has changed in his life and the lives of his family. His passion for the game has developed. Yet what has remained constant is his motivation.
Beneath the Helmet: Sony Michel
Born to Play
By Anne Noland
Sony Michel didn't want to play football.
Perhaps that's because he began his career as an offensive lineman at the age of seven.
"Me and my brother played guard and tackle," Michel says. "I had No. 70. He had No. 71. It was the weirdest thing ever. We were just big. The coach didn't know how athletic we were. But we made the all-star team that year. So I mean that's a positive."
The problem was, he hated it. On the verge of quitting the sport at the start of his second season (and the meager age of eight), Michel suited up for the first day of full-pads practice as his last thread of hope. Maybe, he thought, a little contact would help him love football like his older brother Marken did.
He was right.
"When we did hitting drills, I went against the starting running back and I ran him over. From then, the coach saw that dang, this kid can play," he says. "So the next day, he tried me at running back and from then on, I just started playing running back."
Michel – and the Bulldog Nation – are thankful that he found his niche in the backfield. The sophomore tallied 516 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in his first season at Georgia, and he has added another seven scores on 424 rushing and receiving yards this year.
But his love for the game did not develop until after his firstcollege scholarship offer, his switch to running back or his first touchdown run.
"My eighth grade season was unexpected, just being young. I went out there just playing football, but I started scoring touchdowns. Once I started scoring touchdowns, people found it exciting that an eighth grader is out there playing varsity scoring touchdowns," he says.
That's when colleges began to show interest. Yet even then, it meant little to him. Michel didn't understand the hype. He didn't want it. He wanted something bigger than football – for his family to be happy.
Natives of Haiti, Michel's parents had immigrated to America after their first child, Sony's older sister Lamise, was born. The land of opportunity didn't provide immediate salvation from difficulty, however. Day-to-day life was a struggle for Michel and his family until his talent on the football field gave him a voice for change.
By his sophomore year of high school, he had become a hero in his hometown of Plantation, Florida. In that success, he was able to find jobs for his parents at his school as a janitor and cook, jobs they still hold to this day.
"That is when I realized that football can be more than just a game. It can be a way to open opportunities for me, my family and other people."
From opportunity, his love for football was born.
Michel began to understand the gift he had been given in his athleticism as his success on the field increased. He would be able to earn a college degree. The NFL became a realistic dream. Football would give him the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other people.
As Michel evaluated his options of where he would continue his education and his football career, he pushed aside the big promises, the allure and the hype that many programs tried to sell him. Instead, it was arelationship built on trust and honesty that drew him to Georgia.
"Coach B-Mac (Bryan McClendon) had a major impact just by me earning his trust and vice versa. The first day I met him, he told me straight up. He was honest with me throughout the whole process. He told me nothing would be given to me, and I kind of went for the bait," Michel says. "It was a tough decision – one of the toughest decisions I've ever made. But I think I made the best choice and I'm happy with it to this day."
Michel has come a long way from his days as an offensive lineman playing at the local park. Much has changed in his life and the lives of his family. His passion for the game has developed. Yet what has remained constant is his motivation.
"Really, I play football just to be able to help others. There are people that helped me growing up. I want to be able to help people that are not able to help me back," he says. "Playing at Georgia is a great opportunity. It means a lot. It almost makes me feel like I kind of can have a voice. Football players are kind of on a certain platform. So if I can change the world in one way, I feel like football is the closest way I'd be able to change the world."
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