by Pat Turner, goUTSA.com contributing writer
SAN ANTONIO — Brian Price eagerly waited for his opportunity.
After earning all-state honors during his final season at Lafayette (Ind.) McCutcheon High School, the defensive lineman was thinking his effort would be good enough to land a major college football scholarship. For some reason, coaches at the next level showed no interest.
Despite being ignored, Price refused to give up on his goal.
After continuous hard work and a one-year stint at Hancock (Calif.) Junior College, Price ended up at UTSA.
During the past three years, the senior defensive tackle has been living his dream to the fullest.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be here,” Price said. “I’m playing football and getting an education. I have so many caring people. I love this community and school.”
Price shows that appreciation every time he hits the field.
He totaled 25 tackles his sophomore season and followed with 23 stops a year ago.
This year, the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder has recorded 19 tackles, including two for loss and a sack, through five games. He’ll be looking to do more of the same in today’s Conference USA encounter with Louisiana Tech.
Price’s teammates and coaches have taken notice of his appreciation.
He has the size and strength, but it’s the overall hard-nosed play that enables him to make his presence felt in a higher capacity.
“Brian is a beast,” defensive coordinator Neal Neathery said. “He throws people around left and right. He gets off the football and does some amazing things.”
Even though Price has made a name for himself with the Roadrunners, reaching that pinnacle took some doing. Looking back, he believes that experience of trying to prove he was college material made him stronger.
Though his lone year at Hancock opened the door for him to showcase his skills, it still was a major challenge.
Not only was he more than 2,000 miles away from home, but he also was thrust into a much faster-paced game. However, he was on a mission and made the adjustments without complaint.
While playing every position on the line, Price recorded 61 tackles and earned second team All-Northern Conference honors.
“When you get thrown into the fire, that’s when you learn the best,” Price said. “I was very disappointed I didn’t get one recruiting letter during high school. Then, the coaches from Hancock showed me some love. At first, I was wondering what I was doing there because I was so far away from home. I felt unappreciated, so I made sure to earn respect every time I stepped on the field.”
Price’s biggest reward came a few months later when UTSA made an offer.
“I had never heard of UTSA,” he said. “They started telling me about the school and said it was a start-up program. That intrigued me right off the bat because not many people can say they were part of a start-up program. One of these days when this a powerhouse and people are saying ‘wow,’ I can say I was one of the players who helped start it.”
For Price, it also will be remembered as the place where he lived his dream of playing Division I football.