Gonna embarrass @DHx34 on Senior Day. I had Damien as a freshman. We had a conference a few weeks in & I asked him how everything was going--he said it was an adjustment being far from home, but he was excited that he was able to get some snaps on special teams.
Obviously things turned out well for him (especially in a tweet where he used ethos/pathos/logos & research to tell a hater that many of Alabama's best RBs started out on special teams).
I had him in a different class a few years later--Damien, as y'all know, is a really smart dude. He can coast. But other athletes (and students!) don't have that luxury; if people see him not putting the work in, everyone else is going to slack off.
So I told him this. & he showed up each day, ready to put work in. He held some of his younger guys accountable, and as a result, everyone did better.
I have a special place in my heart for students that look out for other students. Student athletes have this mentality built in--it's one of the things I admire & enjoy about teaching them. (A certain Samoan QB is good at this too.) A rising tide lifts all boats, yeah?
But Damien is a perfect example of this--when my freshmen are slacking off, I can message Damien & he'll take care of it. When you think of a model student-athlete, Damien is the guy. I'm grateful for him.
So anyway, enjoy your last day at Bryant-Denny, old man. Let the young bloods play on special teams today. Proud of you.
