Growing up, I was raised by my mom.
It was pretty much just the two of us.
We didn’t have much, but we had each other, and she was always there to support me.
My mom did whatever she could to make sure I had everything I needed to succeed.
I was a bit of a wild child, though, and my interests were all over the place.
At first, I wanted to be a basketball player.
My mom and dad were great athletes, so I guess I was just following in their footsteps.
But then, I discovered my love for football.
My dad passed away when I was young, and it hit me hard.
I quit football and focused on basketball because I thought it would make him proud.
But the truth is, my heart just wasn’t in it.
It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I found my way back to football.
Sometimes life has a funny way of bringing you back to what you’re meant to do.
My stepdad, Kevin, played a significant role in my football journey.
He took me to a camp called “Best of the Midwest,” even though I didn’t want to go.
I was just being lazy and didn’t feel like stepping out of my comfort zone.
But Kevin pushed me.
He signed me up and told me I had to go.
So, I went, and guess what?
I won the MVP award at that camp.
That opened doors for me, and soon after, I had multiple scholarship offers from amazing schools like Tennessee, Duke, Purdue, Northwestern, Iowa, and Louisville.
It was a life-changing moment.
I guess the lesson here is to never let fear or laziness hold you back.
Sometimes, the best things in life happen when you step out of your comfort zone and take a chance.
Through All the Ups and Downs
When I signed with Duke, it was a dream come true.
I was excited to leave Indiana and start a new chapter of my life.
Duke is such a prestigious school, both academically and athletically, and I couldn’t believe I had the opportunity to be a part of it.
It felt like the perfect fit for me, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
My college experience, however, was nothing like I expected.
I faced a lot of challenges and adversity along the way.
My freshman year was decent, but then COVID hit in my sophomore year, and everything changed.
It was a strange time, to say the least.
For everyone.
I didn’t feel like I was really reaching my full potential, and it was frustrating.
But then, my junior year came around, and things started to change.
I became a starter, and we had a new coaching staff.
I finally started to see what real college football looked like.
The practices were intense, and we were competing at a high level.
I was learning and growing as a player, and it felt amazing.
Unfortunately, my senior year took a turn for the worse.
I broke my ankle midway through the season, and it was devastating.
I had never missed a game before or had surgery.
No doubt, this took a toll on me.
It was a tough pill to swallow.
But I pushed through the rehab, and I came back for our bowl game.
It wasn’t the season I had hoped for, but I was grateful to finish it on the field with my teammates.
And Again
After all the ups and downs, I had one more year at Duke, and I was determined to make it count.
But during training camp of the 2023 season, I fractured my other ankle.
Not quite sure how to describe my emotions during this time.
It was a freak accident, and it was incredibly frustrating to go through another major injury.
At that point, I was questioning everything, to be honest
I was almost ready to give up on football.
It would have been the convenient thing to do, right?
But deep down, I knew I couldn’t.
I loved the game too much to walk away.
With the support of my coaches, teammates, and family, I worked incredibly hard to rehab and get back on the field.
And when I finally did for the 2024 season, I got to experience my best year ever.
I led the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns, and I even won the ACC Brian Piccolo Award for "the most courageous player" in the conference.
That meant the world to me.
It was the recognition I had been working toward my entire career.
The Lessons
Looking back, the most defining moment of my college career was the adversity I faced with those back-to-back injuries.
It was a difficult time, but it taught me a valuable lesson.
No matter how bad things may seem, never give up.
If you love what you’re doing, there will always be a way to overcome the obstacles.
I hope my story can inspire others to keep pushing forward, no matter how tough life gets.
As I move forward, my immediate goal is to play in the NFL.
It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and I’m ready to make it a reality.
But beyond that, I want to make an impact on people’s lives.
I want to use my platform to inspire and motivate others to never give up on their dreams.
If I can do it, you can do it, too.
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📷 Elijah Pancol and Duke Athletics
