Damar Hamlin had every football program in the country recruiting him during his senior year at Pittsburgh's Central Catholic, his talent and upside enough to make him an undisputed four-star prospect and ESPN's No. 2 defensive player in Pennsylvania.
Late in that 2015 season, Hamlin took a hit to the side of his knee against Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 4A district championship, and coaches decided to hold him out the following week in a state quarterfinal against State College as a precaution. But that was not going to keep him off the field.
Hamlin begged his coaches to let him do something to help.