Japanese running back Genta Ito felt he didn't showcase a sufficient enough performance during his two years at Santa Monica Junior College to extend his football career.
Playing for a Division I team in college football in the United States had been his goal since he moved there when he enrolled at the junior college in Southern California. But the door was about to close.
"I qualified for some Division I schools academically, but I didn't get permission to join their football teams," Ito told the Japan Times. "And even after the calender hit July, I didn't get any responses from the universities to which I'd sent my applications and I thought the possibility of me playing football in the U.S. had become a lot slimmer."