Get to know Spring Creek offensive lineman Colin Banning
SPRING CREEK, Nev. — Colin Banning is a 6-foot-4-inch tall, 285-pound, 16-year-old junior attending Spring Creek High. He was born in northern Idaho and has resided in Spring Creek since he was three. While he is a two-sport athlete, his passion lies with football!
I first caught wind of Colin through his grandmother, whom I worked with. She often talked about her grandson and his travel football experiences at a fairly young age, around 8 or 9. I started covering his experiences a few years ago through my podcast and immediately saw a lot of potential in him. He is physically gifted and has the intellectual tools needed to be a successful student-athlete.
Guided by his father, Jim, Colin has pushed himself at many levels, competing in camps in South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, California, Utah, Idaho and Tennessee. Most notably, he was selected as a top 25 offensive lineman in the Western United States by ESPN and Under Armour. Colin has yet to select a college but intends to seek a scholarship in football so he can continue his education in the business world. While he has not settled on a college, he has narrowed it down to 10 possibilities, including UNR, Hawaii and several other D1 schools.
Jim has been very instrumental in the recruiting process, even helping other athletes along the way. Regarding the process, Jim points out, “We have learned along the way that buying help doesn’t work. It’s all about self-promotion and respect but most importantly hustling and selling yourself.”
He goes on, “Many times Colin and I have met people with false help or broken promises,” This has led Jim to be incredibly active in recruiting. “I believe this help should be free, and I truly enjoy doing the research and work,” he says.
Over the years, Colin has concluded that his biggest challenge is his location. Being from a small town “in the middle of nowhere,” it’s hard to get noticed by high-profile colleges and coaches. Colin and Jim have focused on self-promotion, which seems to be paying off by the number of colleges interested.
Colin displayed his maturity when asked what his biggest mistake on the field was. “My biggest mistake was overthinking what the man in front of me was going to do. I was able to overcome this by understanding what I needed to do and perform the task at hand.”
Many parents know that is not often the case for 16-year-olds, but Colin is not like most of his peers.
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