Unrecruited University of Texas football player receives magical scholarship surprise
— -- Coaches for the University of Texas football team brought in a magician to boost morale but one player was shocked to see what the man pulled out of his magic hat.
Unrecruited senior offensive lineman Garrett Graf was in the spotlight as the magician’s assistant, unaware that it was part of a planned surprise, when the man pulled a card from a top hat with a special message.
"On behalf of the UT football program," the magician read last Wednesday night, "I’m pleased to inform you that you are now on a full academic scholarship."
The entire room roared with applause and Graf immediately became overcome with emotion.
"There's a lot of guys here that deserve this just as much if not more than I do," Graf said, choking up. "I promise you guys I won't let you down and I appreciate this more than you can possibly imagine.
“This has been a childhood dream of mine just to be here," Graf continued, thanking the coaches.
Now listed at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, the fourth-year unrecruited player, aka a walk-on, did not see game action until he played in two games last year, according to the school’s 2017 football roster.
The Grand Prarie, Texas, native called his father to share the good news and embraced his coach in appreciation while celebrating with the entire team.
Head coach Tom Herman said on Twitter that it was a "well deserved honor for a great teammate."
