Brannan juggles studies, football
Senior a semifinalist for Campbell Trophy
Travis Brannan did not join his fellow Navy football seniors in celebrating a blowout victory over Holy Cross in the season opener.
Brannan, who earned honorable mention special teams player of the game for his performance against the Crusaders, returned to his dorm room at Bancroft Hall immediately afterward to catch as much sleep as possible.
Brannan had to get up long before the sun the next day in order to catch a 4 a.m. flight from Baltimore to Jacksonville to perform field work for his capstone project.
Brannan and four other ocean engineering majors are part of a Naval Academy team that was commissioned by the National Parks Association as consultants for a construction project at historic Fort Matanzas National Monument, located in St. John’s County near St. Augustine, Florida.
“Fort Matanzas has some flooding issues so we’re helping beef up their protection in that area,” Brannan said. “We’re giving them a range of options in terms of possible designs and cost projections.”
Brannan’s team spent that Sunday touring Fort Matanzas, collecting data and getting a feel for what engineering work would be needed to remedy the flooding
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“It’s going to be tough. We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us,” Brannan said. “There are a lot of ideas we presented that cannot be done at that location because of legalities.”
If there is an answer, you can be sure Brannan will figure it out. It is simply part of the senior slotback’s DNA to get the job done regardless of the obstacles.
“I’ve got tremendous respect for Travis because of everything he does. It’s remarkable that he can juggle so many things and have so much success in every part of his life,” Navy slotbacks coach Joe DuPaix said.
Brannan, who boasts a 4.0 grade-point average at the Naval Academy, was recently announced as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. That award, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, recognizes one college football player as the nation’s best scholar-athlete in the sport.
All finalists (12 to 14 players) for the Campbell Trophy receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship and all-expenses paid trip to New York City for the National Football Foundation annual award dinner.
“I was blown away when I found out I reached the semifinals. I was just happy and honored,” Brannan said.
Brannan, a product of Vandegrift High in Leander, Texas, has never earned anything less than an A grade at any level of schooling. He admits to being more mathematically oriented, but has never had enough trouble in any other subject to wind up with a B.
“It definitely comes easier for me than some people. For that I have to thank God and good genes I suppose,” Brannan said. “I’m blessed to be well-rounded academically. There’s a lot of hard work sprinkled in. I got that instilled in me at a young age.”