Grown-up Olson ready to choose new path for career

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Ben Olson is wiser. Maturity happens when you have a thousand doors slammed in your face or are cursed at on a regular basis. Don't forget the odd cup of mystery liquid thrown on you shortly after identifying yourself as a Mormon missionary.

"I don't think there could be anything tougher mentally," said the nation's hottest college football prospect. "Definitely, your skin gets pretty thick."

Karl Dorrell (right) might be able to land a recruit that will bring UCLA closer to Pete Carroll's USC Trojans. (Getty Images)

That's part of the reason why Olson is more in control this time. He's 21, back from a two-year Mormon mission in Calgary. That's quite a change from 2002, when he was the nation's No. 1 quarterback recruit coming out of Thousand Oaks High.

Now: Older, wiser and essentially a five-star free agent eligible to sign with any school after redshirting his first year at Brigham Young in 2002. Seldom, if ever, has a case like Olson's popped up. Kids take Mormon missions all the time, but they usually do it before their college clock starts ticking or in the middle of their eligibility, usually returning to their original school.

Not Olson, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound stud with a rocket for a left arm who officially announced this week what the recruiting world knew for months: He wasn't returning to Provo.

NCAA rules essentially count military service or a mission as a transfer year, so Olson is free and clear to sign again.

"It's probably as crazy, if not more crazy, than the first time," Olson said from his living room in this well-to-do Southern California suburb. "I thought more teams would be more hesitant about me being gone for two years. I've been amazed at all the interest I've gotten because I haven't played a down of college football yet."

Technically, Olson is a five-star non-high school player, according to rivals.com. He is not rated as a high school player, ready to turn 22 in February. If lumped in with those high school players, though, recruiting expert Jeremy Crabtree said Olson would be up at the top.

"The question is, what's he been doing with a football?" Crabtree said.

The answer begins with a body that looks like it was chiseled about of marble. Since Olson returned from the mission, he has dedicated his life to refining his football talents. He took the first semester off, working out at a nearby training center to hone his skills. He throws every day preparing for the next big event in his life, the Feb. 2 signing day.

"I honestly think I'll be a better player," Olson said. "I've played a lot of games in my mind. It's going to take some time. I'm not saying I'll step under center and be awesome. But through hard work, I'll be better than I ever was."

That beats the downside of cold-calling Canadians about his faith. The day typically started at 10 a.m. and lasted until 9:30 p.m. The only football was maybe 10 minutes of throwing with a friend.

"We believe that we have something that will help you in your life," Olson said. "We're not there to shove it down your throat."