After years of balancing multiple sports, senior Will Curran wanted to direct his full attention to being scouted for baseball. But, in a somewhat sudden turn of events, Curran decided to commit to the University of Redlands in Southern California to play football instead.

Curran has been playing football since he was a young kid through Clackamas intramural programs. He is part of a select few seniors at La Salle who have signed to play sports at the collegiate level, students The Falconer showcases in its Next Level Seniors series.

Curran attended Christ the King for elementary school. He then attended Happy Valley Middle School and Clackamas High School, before ultimately transferring to La Salle as a junior. Curran said that the transition from Clackamas to La Salle was not very challenging, since he knew some of his classmates from Christ the King.

Curran noted that the sports teams at La Salle also contributed to him feeling welcomed when he was a new student. “Sports, I think, helped a lot as well because you’re instantly around new people,” he said. “They all accepted me in pretty quick, which I was thankful for. That made it way easier for me to transfer in and feel comfortable.”

During his time at La Salle, Curran has played on both the football and baseball teams, both of which he said he has made fun memories on both teams. In particular, he recalled playing a baseball game against his old school, Clackamas High School. “It was pretty nerve wracking, but I played them and then we did really good,” he said.

Having transferred just before when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year, Curran only got to attend six months of in-person school before beginning digital learning. “It was weird because I didn’t really get to be in school for an actual experience at La Salle as much as other kids,” he said.

Curran’s advice for other potential transfer students is to follow their instincts when deciding whether or not to transfer schools. “It’s OK, you can take your time and think about it,” he said. “If you’re not feeling comfortable with the school you’re at, don’t stay cozy, and do what you think is best for you.”

Curran felt that this advice was especially impactful on Curran as he was deciding to transfer when he decided to transfer. “That’s kind of what I did, because at Clackamas I wasn’t feeling or doing my best,” he said. “I think you should just do what you think is best because life’s too short.”

When approaching the prospect of reaching out to colleges, Curran said that he found the process to be frustrating at times. “I was talking to my parents and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is getting really annoying, because I wasn’t really getting the schools I wanted for baseball,’” he said.

After months went by with sparse replies from college baseball teams, Curran decided to message the head coach at University of Redlands about possibly playing football at the school. Feeling discouraged, Curran said that he began to question his pursuits to play college sports.

“I was talking to my mom and I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t even want to play anymore in college,’ and I looked at my phone, and it said he responded like a week ago,” Curran said. Curran didn’t see that Redlands had already responded to his message, and at a time when he felt that his dream of playing college sports was slipping away.

At this time, Curran said that he felt a dramatic shift in mindset — a shift that generated a sudden desire to focus on football instead of baseball. “I kind of just was like, ‘I’m done with all this baseball stuff, I think I just want to play football now,’ so it was like it switched up really fast,” he said.

Curran recalled meeting over the phone with the Redlands football coach and discussing the next steps, which included committing to the school. He traveled to the school’s campus to tour the outdoor facilities, which he said was all that was allowed due to the coronavirus. 

“It felt like a private thing when we got there,” Curran said. “There was no one there because of COVID… it was really weird, but I mean, it was really good.”

As for non-football-related college endeavors, Curran is looking forward to visiting the beach regularly and studying abroad for his major, which is International Business. “I’m excited to be around that area because it’s my favorite,” Curran said.

Despite bumps in the road on his journey to finding the right school, Curran said that he feels he is entering an environment that he will enjoy while he plays the sport that he loves.