[ApK]

To be fair, I think there are probably more dedicated high-school football players who see an athletic scholarship to college as the goal, rather than a career in the pros. And while some may say even that is a low probability play, I'd say for someone with athletic talent, it may be worth a shot. Certainly there are more football scholarships given each year than there are openings on NFL teams.

As an aside: I was only personal friends with one serious athlete in HS. In his case it was baseball, and as it turned out, he DID make a career of it. Mostly in the minor leagues, one season in the majors, still coaching and training if I'm not mistaken. He found something he loved and was good at and made a life of it.
IIRC he was no slouch academically, either.
Good for him!