Racine Raiders wide receiver Jersey Eickhorst is taking his talents overseas. Eickhorst will be moving to England to attend the University of West England Bristol where he’s received a partial scholarship to play football and obtain a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). It’s an opportunity that just landed in his lap.
“Ever since I graduated college I was like I don’t want to go back because I was super-relieved to be done,” chuckles Eickhorst. “I was not actively seeking to go back and get my master’s anywhere.”
A recruiter for the UWE Bristol football team reached out to Eickhorst after seeing a bio for him on a website for players interested in playing football in Europe. It was a page that Eickhorst set up after graduating from Benedictine University and maintained for about a year. It’s not something he paid much attention to for the past 18 months, however.
“I started settling into Racine because I got my job at Prairie and started coaching,” says Eickhorst. “Then he (the recruiter) reached out on there but I didn’t think much of because I wasn’t really active on there.”
The recruiter then followed Eickhorst on social media and messaged him and made the connection. At that point, Eickhorst became interested in the opportunity. The recruiter told Eickhorst that he liked the film he saw and asked him what he’d think of moving to England to get his master’s degree and continue to play football.
“It was the football part that intrigued me,” said Eickhorst. “I can get my master’s over here but the idea of experiencing a different country, without a language barrier, and being able to still play football is what piqued my interest.”
Eickhorst started doing research on the school and program. UWE Bristol has an enrollment of 25,000-30,000 students according to Eickhorst which puts it around the size of Big 10 schools like Nebraska and Iowa. Being in England, soccer draws well while Eickhorst estimates that the American football team pulls in around 1,500 fans. The team is successful, having won the national championship last year. Eickhorst is excited about his opportunity to grow as a wide receiver, a position he just moved to with the Raiders this past season.
“They run a spread offense and that’s intriguing to me now that I’m a wide receiver,” he says.
The UWE Bristol Bullets are members of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). The team heavily recruits former college football players from the United States. Eickhorst says he’s part of a group chat that includes about 15-20 American players that will be part of the UWE Bristol squad this season. The list includes players from all levels of college football in America and one particularly intriguing football name that we’re not releasing at this time.
“They want to have a strong American football program,” says Eickhorst. “I’m not sure how many other schools are actively recruiting Americans but I know there is for sure one other one that they played in the national championship in a super close game.”
One thing to adjust to for Eickhorst will be the length of the season. The practices start on September 19 and, other than a break over the Christmas holiday, he could be playing until the end of March if UWE Bristol makes the national championship game.
Eickhorst said his time with the Raiders definitely allowed him to be ready for this unique opportunity.
“(The Raiders) definitely gave me the opportunity to play, build my confidence, and keep me in the game,” says Eickhorst. “If I didn’t play for the Raiders and somebody were to ask me this four years being removed from college, I would not have thought of accepting it.”
Eickhorst says the coaching he received was extremely valuable while with the Raiders. He says it helped him to hone in on route-running and credits other players like Mitch Farr, Torie Ruffin, J.D. Hardy, and Channing Schultz for helping him develop as a player. Eickhorst said all of this helped his transition to wide receiver this year.
“I went to college as a defensive back knowing in my mind that I was probably more of a natural receiver but I wanted to challenge myself,” says Eickhorst. “Being a receiver generally feels like that’s the position I should’ve been playing.”
Eickhorst finished the season with 28 catches for 436 yards, a 15.6 yard-per-catch average and one touchdown for the Raiders.
“I would always joke with my buddies,” laughs Eickhorst. “I’m like Kyle Pitts. A bunch of yards and only one touchdown in a rookie season.”
If you’re interested in furthering your football career, please fill out a short recruiting questionnaire and a coach will reach out to you. The Racine Raiders offer worker’s compensation insurance, travel reimbursement, postgame meals, and much more.
