University Southern California Trojans
Walk-On Freshman Has Done The Remarkable
November 01, 1999 | Football
Nov. 1, 1999
It's not easy being a walk-on football player at USC. Besides having to handle the tuition process on your own, you must endure hours of pounding at the hands of the Trojan first-team units. About the only light at the end of the tunnel is the possibility of one day being awarded a scholarship. But even then, that day usually doesn't arrive until your junior or senior season. That's often too long for some to wait.
That's why it's remarkable for a walk-on to be awarded a scholarship as a true freshman. And that's what makes freshman cornerback Kevin Arbet remarkable. The 5-11, 175 pounder from St. Mary's High in Stockton, Calif., has earned his way from the beginning.
"I came in and just played hard," said Arbet. "I knew I had the ability and that I could show it if I was given the chance."
Arbet may have arrived at USC without the advantage of a scholarship, but he did have the advantage of being tutored by his stepfather, Jeff Simmons, who at one time was the Trojan career reception leader.
"My dad taught me a lot about football," said Arbet. "We used to go out and run patterns and he would teach me how to get off the line against a cornerback. At the time I wanted to be a receiver, but I actually learned a lot about being a cornerback because I always was covering my dad."
Arbet played mostly running back in high school and did well enough to be recruited by several Division-I schools. In the back of his mind, though, USC was beckoning.
"I went to the USC-Notre Dame game in 1992," said Arbet. "It was my first USC game and I just fell in love with the whole tradition. I loved the setting and the crowd. The band was something I really enjoyed and still enjoy. I knew then that I wanted to go to USC someday."
Indeed, coming to USC was like a dream come true for Arbet.
"The first time I entered the practice field was my most thrilling moment in sports because it was when I officially became a Trojan," said Arbet.
Soon, the rookie Arbet was playing like a Trojan veteran, making plays left and right during the rigorous two-a-day workouts at UC Irvine this past August. Secondary coach Dennis Thurman was impressed and found himself watching Arbet very closely.
"Kevin has some natural God-given instincts to play DB at this level," Thurman said. "In the first scrimmage, he performed very naturally and made plays that you'd want guys with two or three years of experience to make."
Unfortunately for the Trojans, there weren't many guys with two or three years experience returning at corner. Arbet was able to take advantage of this situation and soon became a big part of the team's plans at cornerback.
Still, there was the scholarship issue. Arbet was playing so well that several of his teammates assumed he already had a scholarship. They were suprised to find out he was a walk-on. But as the season opener at Hawaii approached, Arbet's hard work began to pay off. He was awarded the scholarship.
"My goal was to get a scholarship as soon as possible so that my parents wouldn't have to pay," Arbet said. "I thought maybe it would happen at the end of the semester, because I expected to redshirt this season. But, I'm not really surprised because I have a lot of confidence in myself. It was just a matter of time."
Not only was Arbet given a scholarship, but he was named the starting nickel back for the season opener. He suffered a setback, though, when he sprained his ankle on the opening kickoff.
"That was tough to go through," said Arbet. "After all that hard work I couldn't believe it happened before I got a chance to do anything."
It took a while for the Arbet that was making plays in training camp to show up again. His ankle sprain kept him out for two more games, but he finally got his chance against Oregon State and he responded with several key defensive plays. For the season, Arbet has four tackles and a broken-up pass. Nothing spectacular, but he has earned the confidence of the USC coaches. He was even asked to defend Stanford All-American receiver Troy Walters one-on-one a couple times.
"That was a good challenge," said Arbet. "I didn't get intimidated, though. I was too busy worrying about my assignments and not messing up."
If there's one thing the Trojan coaches don't have to worry about, it's Arbet not doing his assignment. So far, he has done all that has been asked of him, and more.
"I just want to help this team achieve greatness," said Arbet. "We just have to play together and all do our part out there. I'm just doing what's expected of someone who wears this uniform."
With Arbet, expect the best.
