Veterans Day college athletes
A look at three walk-ons with military ties
Before Seth Newsome completed his four years of active duty in the Marine Corps, he knew he needed a plan for the next chapter.
Newsome talked to his share of veterans, including his two older brothers, both of whom also served in the Marines. His biggest takeaway: feeling lost, and untethered, waited for those who didn’t think ahead.
“A lot of guys who come out of the military struggle to find a sense of purpose,” he tells USA TODAY Sports. “You don’t have that same sense of belonging … you miss the adrenaline, you miss feeling like you were doing something that mattered. … It’s hard to sit and idle with that.”
The solution, Newsome, 28, realized, is to find a different dream. And that’s how the 6-1, 262-pounder found himself walking onto the LSU football team.
The transition wasn’t easy by any means. After going through hell during Marine Corps boot camp and deploying overseas twice, college football practice probably sounds like a walk in the park to the average person.
Newsome is quick to squash that idea.
“SEC football practices,” he said, “are a force to be reckoned with.”
Newsome’s own experience, plus numerous conversations with his family members, have impressed upon him the importance of serving others — and of knowing your role.
“Contributing in any way to LSU football is an awesome thing,” he said. “I understand my role as a walk-on, and I embrace it and go hard as hell. Just like in the Marines, I’m committed to something bigger than myself — and that’s what matters.”
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Damian Jackson can relate to that mentality.
A 6-1, 245-pound defensive lineman, Jackson spent four years as a Navy SEAL before deciding to walk on at Nebraska. That he never played football at any level didn’t matter.
“More than anything, the military taught me humility,” says Jackson, a 25year old freshman. “You shouldn’t seek recognition for the work you’ve done or are doing, and you shouldn’t have to tell people what you’re doing. Just stay humble, and people will appreciate it.”
If you had to summarize the attitude of an aspiring walk-on, that would probably be it.
“He certainly brings that service mentality to the scout team right now,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley tells USA TODAY Sports. “And he is humble. When it came up to the team that he was a former SEAL, he got kinda shy about it almost. I love watching him in the off- season because he’s just a machine. Guys were trying to beat him, to grind with him, and they just couldn’t keep up.”
Jackson played soccer and baseball at Shadow Ridge High in Las Vegas. But he grew too large for soccer and a broken collarbone ended his baseball aspirations.
“It’s been a good transition for me,” Jackson said. “I’ve fit right in and picked things up pretty fast.”
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Brett Armour understands the pull of gear.
The 6-1, 262-pound walk-on Mississippi State offensive lineman — who doubles as an Army ROTC cadet — remembers his freshman year on campus, before he was under ROTC contract.
“When I would see all the contracted cadets getting to walk around in their uniforms, I wanted that,” Armour says. “I wanted to wear that uniform, because it represented a chance to make a difference and make a change in the world.”
Now, Armour wears that uniform every Tuesday and Thursday around campus. Saturdays are reserved for Bulldog colors. It’s not exactly how Armour planned things out. In a lot of ways, it’s better.
Armour hoped to join the Navy out of high school, but his application was denied. So he started checking out surrounding ROTC programs; Mississippi State, his father’s alma mater, “just clicked.”
“If you had told me four years ago I was going to be playing SEC football and trying to go Infantry, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you,” the 20year-old redshirt sophomore says. “I wanted to be a wildlife biologist, and now I’m a math major.”