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Dear Liberty,
It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of another season together. It feels like only yesterday that we were just starting preseason camp. Man, you blink once and it’s already gone.
I’m not here to talk about what the future holds because, honestly, I don’t even know what it holds for me. Sure, I have my goals for what I want to do in my life, but at the same time, it’s useless to look too far ahead when the present is right in front of me.
We still have business to take care of this season—don’t we?
But I do want to take this time to thank each and every one of you for welcoming me into your lives with open arms. I couldn’t have asked for a better fan base to represent every time I throw on the shoulder pads, helmet, and jersey before walking out there on that field.
As a transfer, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. It isn’t easy leaving one place and starting from scratch at another. I’ve often said that journey sort of brought me to ground zero because I was suddenly the new guy forced to reinvent myself.
But none of it mattered to you —the where, when, or how of it all. You took me in and accepted me as one of your own. You’d think I’d been here since the very beginning with all of the love and appreciation I’ve received since arriving.
You don’t find that kind of reception everywhere, and I’m forever grateful to every last one of you for it.
I’ve grown as a player and a person—mentally, physically and spiritually—since coming here. My goal has always been taking things one step at a time and just improving each and every day for my teammates.
But I couldn’t have done any of that without the love and support of my parents, teammates, coaches, and every last one of you — our fans.
Through the ups and downs—good times and bad—you guys showed me love and supported me. I’ll be the first to admit that I hate losing. But being here has taught me the value of having patience and working harder on the finer details behind the scenes.
How you handle the outcomes of games is what matters the most.
Whether you win or lose, nothing should ever change in regards to your work ethic.
When you lose, you go to the film room and find out why.
When you win, you go to the film room and find out why.
It’s all part of the process, and I’ve had the honor of living that out with you in my time here.
And the same goes for my coaches.
I couldn’t have asked for better leaders to go to battle with every week. Since I got here, they’ve always gone above and beyond to make us the best people we can be—not just football players—on and off the field. I just really appreciate that effort in never letting up and always seeking to get the best out of me.
That goes for my teammates, too. Those guys took me in immediately and developed the kind of brotherhood I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. None of the amazing things we’ve accomplished would have been possible without the support of my brothers on and off the field.
But most of all, I want to thank my parents. They’ve been on this ride with me since the very beginning. We never knew it would get to this point, but through faith and prayer, we’ve come such a long way. I love you guys more than you’ll ever know.
I’ve grown as a player and a person—mentally, physically and spiritually—since coming here. My goal has always been taking things one step at a time and just improving each and every day for my teammates. But I couldn’t have done any of that without the love and support of my parents, teammates, coaches, and every last one of you — our fans.
Things in life might not work out exactly the way you plan, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t on the right track. That’s the biggest lesson I learned when I uprooted everything and moved here to continue on my football journey.
All of the adversity and everything I’ve faced put me exactly where I was supposed to be.
I was already a spiritual person before coming here, but just being here made that part of my life an even bigger emphasis.
And for that reason alone, I’ll always be thankful.
No, this isn’t a goodbye. Like I mentioned earlier, we still have work to do.
No matter where life takes me, I just wanted you to know that Liberty will always feel like home to me.
This wasn’t just a pit-stop.
It was always the destination.
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