Cecil Ventura '26 Recruiting Profile

I started football my freshman year of high school, I go to Toledo High school but before that it was Toledo middle school where I met a bunch of the players that I play with now. My friends and family is what inspired me the most to play football, my friends encouraged me to play and the brotherhood in football is what helped me fall in love with the sport, along with the strategizing, helping my team, and being on a winning team. In my humble opinion my sophomore year is where I have grown the most, freshman year I was nothing but a 1 way on JV and wasn’t even a redshirt. Now I start both ways as a second string linebacker who has been looking to play at the next level despite my disadvantages. Outside of football I really only have a selected group of friends and a small circle of family, my mother and 2 brothers passed away which allowed me to gain a lot of size which was the main reason I was afraid to play, but with the right mindset and the right set of helpers I grinded my freshman year and lost 100lbs and gained 40lbs for football. I enjoy weight lifting and being physically fit as my hobbies outside of sports. I go to a small school so really all there is to do down here is work and be involved within everything within the community. As my second year is coming to a near end of football as a sophomore, football has taught me many lessons. It has taught me to stay disciplined, good sportsmanship, and to have each other’s backs and most importantly the brotherhood. The brotherhood is one of and if not the most important thing about football brotherhood isn’t just a group of players and a few adults, it’s a whole family, and I get to leave that field knowing that I left everything I had, inside and out, win or loss. Comming into freshman year I wasn’t so sure about school and college until I realized this might be my only route and my grades weren’t so good. But comming into sophomore year I am trying to maintain a 3.0 GPA or above and excel in as many classes as I possibly can. I would say the absolute most biggest obstacle that I have overcame was staying consistent no matter what, practicing hard during terrible weather working out after practices and games to stay in shape. Football hasn’t only helped me physically but mentally as well. I wouldn’t say I have a set of unique characteristics or skills but what I am sure of is that I have an desirable passion at becoming the best version of myself I possibly can be, I am hard working, focused,  and more passionate about what I do.