Canadian Chuba Hubbard Carries Olympic Dreams into Fast-Rising CFB Recruitment

Among North America's speediest high school athletes, Chuba Hubbard wondered if his college football recruitment would ever accelerate.  

The 16-year-old Canadian, a globally accomplished track sprinter, found himself faced with a harsh reality. Even after a 2015 football season that featured 3,213 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns, Hubbard hardly even felt like an afterthought for American programs.

"College coaches aren't thinking they'll find the next Najee Harris or Derrick Henry in Canada," Hubbard told Bleacher Report. "Last year, I can say no American coach had even heard of Chuba or knew what a Chuba was."

The 6'1", 190-pound junior at Bev Facey Community High School in Sherwood Park, Alberta, hoped his game film and success on the track would eventually pique the interest of at least one staff.

"I waited on that call for a while," he said. "Now I need to take a little breather from my phone. It's always going off."

Hubbard woke up Feb. 17 without a single scholarship offer for football. Colorado State changed the narrative that day, starting a list of opportunities that now includes nearly 20 universities. 

"If you told me two months ago I would be getting all these scholarships, I probably wouldn't believe you," he said. 

Hubbard credits former Canadian Football League standout Jed Roberts, who previously played college football at Northern Colorado, with helping him land on the Rams' radar for that long-awaited first offer. In most other instances, his scintillating highlight film spoke for itself.

His rapidly expanding offer sheet features some of college football's most marquee programs, including Oklahoma, Auburn, Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Oregon. Things picked up in a hurry and haven't slowed since.

During a 72-hour span in late February, he added offers from eight FBS schools.

According to Hubbard, one Pac-12 coach called him the fastest high school player he's scouted.

Speed is certainly what draws initial attention to Hubbard. Bleacher Report first analyzed his film Feb. 12 during a dinner with former No. 1 overall CFL draft pick Shomari Williams, who promoted him as a "must-see" prospect. 

"You've got to check out Chuba," said Williams, a fellow Canadian who played college football at Houston. "Believe it or not, he has no offers."

By the end of our session, that was indeed hard to believe.

"You should see him on the track," Williams added.

Hubbard competed at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia, last July. He placed fourth overall in the 100-meter sprint, clocking a personal-best finish of 10.55 seconds.

This summer, Hubbard intends to test his quickness in Bydgoszcz, Poland, site of the IAAF World Junior Championships. It will require him to move up an age group, facing off against sprinters with more experience.

These multicontinental challenges may ultimately serve as stepping stones toward every elite sprinter's ultimate goal—a shot at medals and stardom on the Summer Olympics stage.

"I'm someone who believes anything is possible. The Olympics are something I've dreamed about since I was six years old. It's something I'll strive for," he said.

Hubbard imagined any college football opportunities would ultimately rely on a scholarship in track. Perhaps if the door opened for him to run at a top-tier American university, he could then attempt to earn his way onto the school's football roster.

"I thought maybe I could try to walk on if it was possible," Hubbard said.

He doesn't need to consider a non-scholarship athletic career at this stage, and Hubbard intends to pay equal attention to both track and football throughout his recruitment.

"It's 50-50. I want track to be just as important as football. Without track, I wouldn't be where I am right now," he said.

Several schools are already targeting him as a priority multisport prospect, particularly Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Oregon. Hubbard believes his busy athletic schedule serves him well.

"Track gives me my speed; football gives me my strength," he said.

Arduous efforts to cut down on his sprint times inevitably helped create a highlight reel of scintillating plays last season, when Hubbard averaged 18.6 yards per carry.

"I do a lot of explosive training in track. When it comes to football, I feel like that helps with my cuts and blowing through people," he said.

Hubbard occasionally caps off long-distance touchdown runs with a sprinter's finish-line lunge as he crosses into the end zone.

“You can’t stop him. He’s unbelievable…He’s not just a fast runner, he’s an unbelievably tough runner, and players like him need to be celebrated,” opposing head coach David Diluzio told Jason Hills of the Edmonton Journal after a November playoff matchup in which his team surrendered 291 yards and three scores to Hubbard on 23 rushing attempts.

Football fans and analysts who typically use 40-yard-dash times to assess an athlete's on-field speed are undoubtedly curious about how Hubbard performs in the event. In fact, so is he.

"I've never done a laser-timed 40," he said. "I couldn't tell you how fast I run it."

Hubbard expects to change that in late May when he aims to compete at The Opening regional in Seattle. It could be an immense opportunity to prove his attributes to evaluators who've yet to see him in person.

He already surged to No. 12 overall among running backs in 247Sports' 2017 recruit rankings.

Despite a lengthy list of offers, Hubbard has yet to receive a visit from American college football coaches in Canada. He believes that will begin to change later this spring. 

Hubbard also has travel plans of his own. 

He will train in Auburn this year and may take advantage by spending time at the university's football facilities. While Hubbard has only just begun to map out a summer itinerary with his parents, potential destinations he's particularly excited about include Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Miami, which is located more than 3,000 miles from Sherwood Park. 

Hubbard developed an affinity for Oregon during his youth, but it's USC that most recently attracted his interest. He refers to former Trojans sprinter and fellow Canadian native Andre De Grasse as an "idol," pointing to the reigning NCAA 100- and 200-meter champion as the main cause of intrigue toward USC.

Considering his inexperience with campus visits, expect this recruitment to alter dramatically as Hubbard begins to log miles. He anticipates the process could last until national signing day next February.

Hubbard is viewed as a possible standout beyond the offensive backfield, with various staffs expressing interest in his skill set at slot receiver or defensive back.

Though some may question the competition level Hubbard faces on a weekly basis in Alberta, it's important to note he's already enjoyed success against players from the United States. He led Canada's national team to a 42-0 drubbing of the U.S. in a January 2015 Under-15 International Bowl matchup held at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Hubbard earned MVP honors for his three-touchdown performance in the victory. It would still be another 13 months before the first college offer arrived.

The most surprising aspect of this recent whirlwind for Hubbard is that he managed to lure college football's recruiting spotlight north of the border. Earlier in his career, Hubbard internally came to the realization that a transfer to an American prep school would probably provide his most legitimate shot at a collegiate look.

"It probably crossed my mind a million times. I was thinking about how hard it was going to be to leave all my friends behind here. I'm glad I don't have to leave home now," he said.

Once Canada's best-kept secret on turf, Hubbard is officially a wanted man in America.

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.