College football players are also voters.
Although that's a demographic seldom explored by pollsters, it became relevant Tuesday in Huntington.
That's because presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain's 20-minute visit with Marshall's football team was more than just another photo-op on the campaign trail.
Imagine political science in shoulder pads.
That's what occurred at Edwards Stadium.
"I thought it was pretty special," said Matt Altobello, starting right guard. "All the cameras and stuff. ... it was pretty neat.
"The Secret Service did a sweep of the locker rooms at 5 a.m. and, then, they brought it back in right before he got here. ... just to make sure.
"We were warned to get anything out of our locker, like a cell phone or anything. They said they'd get it right away."
Besides the Secret Service sweeps, the Herd also had to change its morning walk-through into a run-through.
"It was different because we've never gone real hard in a walk-through," said senior wideout Emmanuel Spann, "but he got to see what we're all about.
"Looking at him on television, I thought he'd be a little bigger. But when we huddled around him he was surrounded by gargantuans, it seemed.
"He's not a big guy -- about 5-foot-6, 5-7 -- but the story he told us gave us something to think about."
McCain told the players about his experiences in a Vietnamese POW camp.
"Oh, man, I wanted to ask him about the POW story," said starting middle linebacker Maurice Kitchens. "But he came out and just told us about it. I said, 'Wow, I have even more respect for this man now.' "
So, was that enough to perhaps swing a few Herd votes McCain's way?
"I think it definitely will," said Spann. "You never have a presidential candidate just come to your school.
"He came here because of the tradition, the crash, the movie and rising above all those things just like he had to do when he was in Vietnam.
"I think that has a close relation to this school and I think it definitely will have an impact on him getting votes from us."
Matt Parkhurst already was leaning toward the Republican candidate.
"I was probably going to vote for him anyway," said the senior tight end. "But some of the guys that were on the fence, I think it really showed them that he cares.
"It might influence some of the guys on the team. I mean, everybody in Division I is in camps right now, so for him to come to Marshall was an honor."
Some young players were still wide-eyed hours after McCain's appearance.
"It will have a lot of impact on my vote," said redshirt freshman DeQuan Bembry. "Because knowing what he did for our country has me thinking that I need to do a lot for my team."
Other players were keeping the visit in perspective.
"That experience does hold some sort of weight who you vote for," said Kitchens. "But you've got to realize the real issues and how each candidate approaches those issues.
"You can't be overwhelmed by him coming here. You have to do some studying on your own and, then, form your own decision."
Then, there's Albert McClellan.
"My vote?" said the star defensive end. "I'm independent."
Cody Slate, who seemed to intrigue McCain, wasn't swayed, either. Although two of the three plays McCain called were passes to MU's tight end, he still didn't win Slate's vote.
"I'm registered in Florida," said Slate, "and I didn't get an absentee ballot."
Forget bedfellows, politics makes strange pass combinations.
Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.
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