My Journey as a College Football Player
My college football journey has been quite the rollercoaster. I started at Cincinnati, and my first three years were filled with lots of success. We went to the Peach Bowl my freshman year, made the College Football Playoff the following year, and went to the Fenway Bowl my junior season.
But that’s when things started to go south. We had a coaching change heading into my senior season, and I tried to be one of those glue guys to keep the team together, but it didn’t exactly work out. We finished the season 3-9, which was a tough way to end my career at Cincinnati.
After that, I entered the transfer portal and didn’t know what was going to happen. I ended up getting a call from Arizona State on the third day of being in the portal, and I took a visit out there and absolutely loved it. So, I committed to Arizona State and won the Big 12 title in my first year there. We were predicted to finish last in the conference, and we went on to shock everyone, you know?
This past season wasn’t as good record-wise as the year before, but I felt like I grew into the complete version of myself and performed the best I ever have. It’s been a crazy journey with plenty of ups and downs, but in the end, I feel like everything worked out for itself.
Overall, being a college athlete meant so much to me because I come from a big athletic family. My grandfather played college football in the 70s, my dad played Division 3 football, and he’s been coaching high school football for the last 20+ years. Being an athlete has always been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember, so to be able to play college football at the highest level meant the world to me.
My Experience as the Co-President of the AO Executive Committee
Being a part of AO’s first Executive Committee was huge. I felt like it was a big step for what’s to come in the future. We were the foundational pieces that got the ball rolling. Being a part of something that’s never been done before and will change college athletics forever is huge for me. There are only so many times you get to be a part of something that’s a generational change, so being a part of that was really special.
What I love about AO is that it’s a family-like atmosphere. They’re actually for the athlete, which is something that you don’t see too often. To have an organization that’s in your corner and fighting for you and your rights is huge because not a lot of people are advocating for the athletes.
Having AO as a partner and someone in my corner is something that I’d recommend to everyone because it’s truly been a life-changing experience.
My Impact at AO & College Athletics
The impact that I want to leave behind at AO is that I was never scared to speak up for what’s right and speak up against what’s wrong. I wanted to be an advocate and a voice for the voiceless. I wanted people to know that there’s someone out there fighting on their behalf. As for my college career, I want to leave the program better than I found it.
When I first got here, they were dealing with bowl game sanctions from previous staff and things of that nature. I felt like Coach Dillingham inherited a dumpster fire of a program, so to be a part of the recruiting class and transfer class that came here and turned things around is something that I’ll always cherish.
Not just for the football program, but the entire university. You know, the women’s basketball team made another appearance in March Madness, the men’s basketball team just got a new head coach, the baseball team is really good, and we had a national champion on the wrestling team. The university as a whole is heading in the right direction, and knowing that I was a big part of that means a lot to me.
Advice to My Younger Self
For anyone who needs to hear it, keep putting your best foot forward. You don’t always see the result when you’re in the middle of the process, but keep going and do everything with full effort and 100%. The worst feeling is when things come to an end, and you say, ‘I wish I could have done this differently,’ or ‘I wish I could have done that differently.’
My one word of advice is to always give your best effort and let the chips fall where they may.
Next Steps
I am chasing my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL! Lord, let your will be done.
