Congratulations are in Order

They say what goes up must come down but I ain’t reached my cruising altitude
Take a look at what I did now can you imagine what I’m about to do
The places I’m bout to go and the money I’m bout to see
Gave Bill Gates some binoculars and said look out for me.
-T.I. ft. Ludacris “On Top of the World”



When you hear that a guy is 6’4, 330 pounds your first thought, after realizing that this guy is massive, is that he’s also probably mean as hell. However, that’s not always the case. The gentleman I just described is one of the nicest, most humble people I’ve ever known. His name is Brandon Washington and plays football for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Playing Division-I football is an accomplishment in and of itself, most athletes will never experience. Playing football at the University of Miami is an experience most athletes will only dream of. Playing football at The U, with the type of talent and attention the program garners, being a starter and being recognized week after week as one of the best on a talented team in a very talented conference is a dream come true.

Week after week I watched The U take on opponents of all shapes and sizes and facing some of the future stars of the NFL. Sometimes they rose to occasion and other times they didn’t. One of the few consistencies on this team was the play of Brandon Washington. How do you judge the performance of an offensive lineman? You check for the number of pancake blocks (blocks where the offensive lineman flattens the other guy like a pancake) he gets in a game; you see how many rushing yards are gained running behind him, you see if he completes his assignments; and you see if he hustles on every play. All season long, Brandon did that and more which resulted in him being name the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week twice and culminated in him being named to the First Team All ACC.

You may meet 1,000 Division-I athletes and may only meet 10 more like Brandon. He’s eager to learn, always willing to improve, humble, shys away from controversy and the spotlight, he’s a good student and person off the field and a BEAST on it. I don’t think the ACC could have found a more deserving individual. Congratulations Brandon on your accolades and good luck in the bowl game! Shouts out to the other 8 University of Miami players who made the All ACC Conference Team!