Aime Is Starting Over

Jeff Aime cannot wait for the football season to start. When he talks about it, his eyes light up with excitement. He envisions victories and a run at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship.
The way he goes on, one would think the Queens Village product is the focal point of the Hofstra offense when in reality he is merely hoping to gain the backup spot. However, that does not bother the former St. Francis Prep star, now a redshirt freshman at Hofstra University.
Aime has not changed one bit since leading the Terriers to the CHSFL ‘AA’ championship, a game also played at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, Long Island, Hofstra’s home field. He is still team-first, ready and willing to do whatever it takes.
At St. Francis Prep, that meant carrying the load. At Hofstra, it is learning behind senior Kareem Huggins, adjusting his style to that of a north-south runner instead of bouncing it outside.
Aime did not even suit up last year, not a rarity for talented freshmen. Most schools will redshirt a player to save a year of eligibility in an effort to better prepare the player mentally and physically for the next level.
This spring Aime showed he used last year wisely. He impressed the coaching staff and has used training camp as a springboard to gain carries behind Huggins. The shifty runner is battling for the backup spot, a job that is still up in the air.
“The game is faster,” Aime said. “It’s another level. … I feel like I have learned more. I’ve made mistakes here but you have to make mistakes to get better.”
Beyond the strides Aime has made in his running ability, from hitting a hole harder to lower his center of gravity to reading defenses, his character has remained the same, much to the delight of Coach Dave Cohen.
“The biggest thing is Jeff has got depth to him as a person,” the coach said. “He adds so much in addition to his football skills with his high character and demeanor and work ethic. As a red shirt freshman, he has leadership skills. It’s not to often you get that.”
Aime refuses to talk about himself, about his future as a starting back or however many carries he will receive. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound tailback would be the team’s water boy, it seems, if he thought it would mean an extra victory.
“I just want to see us win,” he said. “I want to get us a championship. That is it. I don’t care. I can be on the bench. As long as our team is doing well, I’m happy about it.”
Odds are, though, he will be a part of it. Cohen feels Aime can be a feature back in the CAA. So does Huggins, who has already seen signs that Aime will take the necessary steps.
“He’s focused on a lot of the little things,” Huggins said. “He’s been working hard, pushing all of us. He’s trying to be the starting back himself.”
The change from high school to college is a tough transition, going from the star to starting over. Instead of the ball always in his hands, Aime now must take advantage of his few opportunities. He dismisses the notion that sporadic carries will hurt him results-wise, that it will be difficult to develop a rhythm.
“Being on a team is a rhythm,” he said. “I just got to work.”