One year was enough for Aidan Steinfeldt.
After working under two head coaches and three different position coaches in that short span with Marshall’s football team and seeing older, more experienced players gobbling up all the playing time in the immediate future, the freshman tight end from Bloomington North put his name in the transfer portal Wednesday with four years of eligibility remaining.
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“I had to learn two offenses,” Steinfeldt said. “It’s been pretty crazy.”
That was just part of it.
“I wasn’t sure how bright the future is for me to see the field, so it was time for a change and test my worth in the portal and see how it ends up,” Steinfeldt added.
Steinfeldt was an All-State tight end with the Cougars his senior year, named to the state’s Top 50 list and a Mr. Football winner at tight end. He left as North’s all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 243 pounds, Steinfeldt was redshirted but gleaned plenty of positives out of his time in Huntington, WV.
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“I’ve loved my time here at Marshall,” he said. “Definitely a change of pace from Bloomington. The phrase the coach last year used was, ‘A championship is something nobody can ever take away from you.’ And last year, we won the Sun Belt for the first time.
“So it was a good takeaway seeing a new team from the portal when I was an early enrollee get to a championship level. All the extremely hard workouts leading to the last game and we made history.”
Steinfeldt also got a lot out of his practices, going up against Sun Belt Player of the Year, Mike Green, an edge rusher who led FBS with 17 sacks and is a potential first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
“Every drill and technique we did opened my eyes,” Steinfeldt said. “The importance of hat placement and steps. At this level, you need to perfect those to excel.
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“I’m not bigger than everyone anymore. Last year, working against Mike Green, I realized I’m not faster, not stronger and not more athletic, so I’ve got to lock into technique to take him on in practice.”
That said, the landscape of college football is becoming just as hard to navigate, with NIL altering the coach-player relationship. Does a coach play the best guy or the one who is being paid the most, Steinfeldt wondered.
The coaching churn also takes a toll. Steinfeldt said last year’s starters had eight different position coaches in his time there.
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But even a change of schools is not going to allow Steinfeldt to escape that. All options are on the table, but he wants to find the right offense that uses tight ends in ways where he can be most productive. He’s the only Steinfeldt left playing after an injury early last year ended the career of older brother Aaron, who had left Indiana to play at Albany.
“The door is open, for sure,” Aidan said. “I’m open to whatever suits me best. I’d like to be close to home, but football is my life now, so I can’t pass anything up. I’m just looking for the best situation.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington North grad Aidan Steinfeldt enters football transfer portal
