ETSU's Weigel leads the way with physical presence Copyright by WJHL - All rights reserved Video

JOHNSON CITY, TN -- Most kids are just trying to get by when they're 14 years old. Dylan Weigel, though, was hunting a new challenge.

"I got into rugby at the end of junior high, 9th grade, freshman year I got into that," Weigel said. "It made me a much better football player, you know, being the tough, physical part of it, tackling without pads on. It taught you how to tackle correctly."

I'm not sure if the rugby education was the reason, but tackling has never been much of a problem for Weigel. From high school at Ohio's Pickerington North or now at ETSU.

"I like to get downhill and tackle people," he said. "That's why I like the physical sport of tackling. Being an inside linebacker is just a good position for me."

He's the middle linebacker, the heart of the Bucs defense, and part of the reason he's become an ambassador for the new program is because he's always hunting that new challenge.

"It's a good challenge to have, you know, starting a program back up from the ground up after not having it around for 12 years. It's a good challenge not many people can say they do. We'll be the first program back here, and that'll be remembered for all the years to come after."

He picked up that spirit and a few other things from the staff at the high school program he helped to a 30-6 record in three varsity seasons.

"It's been big coming from a good, solid high school coaching program not many people have that I had. They taught you how college is, not exactly how it is, but they gave you a good example for a high school program for how college will be."

Now, with his first college game in the books, the next challenge is turning this new ETSU program into a winner on the field.