Rookie linebacker plans on being a hit in training camp
Determined to further his football career, Brandon Harper made a decision.
The reigning defensive player of the year for the Middle Atlantic Conference — and outgoing senior at Widener (Penn.) University — the 22-year-old would leave school in the spring and funnel all of his considerable energy into turning pro.
“To try to do the whole football thing,” Harper said. The gambit paid off. With a pile of firsts: His first plane ride, from his hometown of Philadelphia to Florida for one of the Calgary Stampeders’ evaluation camps
His first professional contract, signed this week with the Canadian Football League club
His first practice with the new employers, Friday morning at McMahon Stadium
“I got my call,” said Harper, clearly pleased. “One thing led to another and I’m here. This is a great way to start it off.
“I just wanted another opportunity to play football, so this wouldn’t be the last time.”
Stamps boss John Hufnagel de- scribes the linebacker as a “tackler.” After all, in his dominating senior year, Harper did drag down ball-carriers 85 times.
“I do love to hit — I’m a hitter,” said Harper, 6- foot-1 and 235 pounds. “If you really look at me, I’m more of a coverage linebacker — I got some wheels on my feet. I’m pretty fast. I can go out there and cover some people. But I do like to lay the wood out there. I can lay somebody out.”
There had been minimal contact from the National Football League — Buffalo Bills and New York Jets expressed a little interest (“but they weren’t saying too much”) — so Harper made sure to keep himself on the sport’s radar.
His road to Calgary began in April, with the Stamps’ free-agent camp at the Chester, Penn., campus of Widener University. That helped.
“I was comfortable because it was at my school.”
However, one thing stood out immediately — he wasn’t alone. A total of 15 linebackers were auditioning. So how does a guy make his case?
“God blessed me with these legs that I have,” said Harper. “My speed, that basically separated me from the other linebackers.”
He did well enough to earn an invitation to the next stage of the process — May’s appraisal in Florida.
“Before I went there, I was like, ‘Let me do some research,’” said Harper, “and I started finding out things about the CFL.”
For starters, he pored over YouTube video of action. He wanted to know what he might be getting himself into.
“It was cool,” said Harper. “I watched a couple of games … viewing how people play. The field. How to adjust to stuff. How I can put myself in that situation … to see if I could do the same things the starters were doing.”
(He did enough studying that, when he walked into the Stamps’ locker-room for the first time, some of the faces were familiar, including Bo Levi Mitchell’s. “I was actually talking to the quarterback and he (says), ‘ You know me?’ And I said, ‘I did my research already.’ ”)
Meaning he was prepared when he attended the Florida camp. Even if his resume felt somewhat flimsy. After all, Widener is a Division III school.
“I was talking to a couple of linebackers,” said Harper, “and they’re like, ‘I’m from LSU. I’m from South Alabama.’ ”
Duly stoked by Division I com- petition, Harper made sure he got noticed. On a first-day dash, he said he posted a sub-4.5-second clocking in the 40.
“I ran pretty good, so I felt confident from that point on.”
Nevertheless, he didn’t nab one of the two contracts on the table — those went to Maleki Harris and Tahj Jones — leaving Harper to go home, get a job, sign up for summer school. Then Harris got hurt. Then the Stamps called. “So I told my teacher and my boss, ‘I got to go.’”
Harper travelled to Calgary from Philadelphia on Thursday. (“It was a pretty good experience, the flying.”)
The following morning he was all over the practice field.
“Everything’s happening real quick, real fast,” Harper said. “The pace is a little quick, just learning the information. I’m a couple of days behind. Just catching up on a couple things. I’m just trying to stay focused.
“First day went good out here. Everybody introduced (themselves to) me. Coaches are real nice. Players are real nice. I’m starting to feel the family bond.”