A Young Man Determined

Wideout Brandon Walker-Roby knows he ready for greatness…No matter what’s happened in the past.

On a one hot muggy day this past summer I can remember us players being in the beginning stage of one of Mark Wateska’s unforgiving workouts. It was probably the second forty yard sprint we were running when I noticed a big neon green object out of the corner of my eye. When I looked over it was Brandon Walker-Roby out in front of everybody running hard with a SPARQ parachute attached to him to create resistance while he ran. For a split second I was surprised, but when I thought about how his summer has gone I thought again.

Brandon has stepped up his game this off-season. He hasn’t been perfect but there’s a sense of urgency that wasn’t there before. Of the twenty of us players redshirted from Hep’s first recruiting class he was one of the few to earn playing time as true freshman back in 2005. Since that year his production has steadily declined. But Brandon has big dreams and is bound not let his past performances hinder those dreams. “My career hasn’t gone the way I wanted it to be,” said Brandon. “The way I see it is you only need one year. I look at Devin Thomas (formerly) of Michigan State. His sophomore year he only had six catches. He came out his junior year and killed and now he’s in the league. So, I really don’t look at the last two years of my career. I just have to move forward.”

Fast forwarding is more like it. Brandon has found the time all summer to make himself better despite also interning with Channel 8 News in Indianapolis. He is now bigger, faster, and stronger due to a combination of workouts from his personal trainer at home and Mark Wateska’s grueling workouts here in Bloomington.
More so than anything, it is the pursuit of happiness mixed with a healthy dose of fear that pushes him each day. “My biggest fear is not being successful,” he explains. “I see lots of people out here working nine to fives and they hate it. I can’t see myself doing that. I have to be playing football. It’s my motivation to do what I want to do in life and be successful.”

Though, a budding TV journalist, football is Brandon’s dream job. He doesn’t think he can make it to the NFL. He knows he can make it. He already witnessed a blueprint on how to make the pros when his brother, former IU wideout Courtney Roby, experienced success on the college level before making it big. “Looking at his success lets me know that I can do it,” said Brandon as he reflected. “It shows that guys in the NFL are regular people just like him. I see what he’s had to go through to get there it’s the same thing I’m going through.”

Brandon now has the determination and the motivation. He has the God-given ability to do great things both on and off the field. He has great inspiration from both his brother and his mother, who often times doubles as his motivator in life. Brandon has put in the work in this offseason. He has grown up in his four years and wants to lead. He wants to do things his way to breed success. He’s not afraid to dream big and will not give up on his dreams for anybody. This is the new and improved Brandon Walker-Roby. The young man who’s more than prepared to rewrite his own history.