Why these Furman seniors put their lives on hold for one more college football season
Furman University offensive linemen Reed Kroeber and Jordan Harris had 2021 planned out. Neither had playing football on their agendas.
They were going to graduate in December 2020 and move on from Furman — and from football. Both are planning to attend grad school, with Kroeber already accepted to Vanderbilt.
When it became apparent last summer that the Southern Conference would not have fall football due to COVID-19, Kroeber, Harris and four other Paladins were faced with a tough decision: Postpone graduation and have one final sports season in the spring, or continue with any previous plans that were made.
Ultimately, five of the six players chose to continue their education and one final chance to play football with the Paladins.
Kroeber, Harris, and defensive players Jack Owen, Patrick Wells and Dru Seabrook are playing for the Paladins this spring. Another player had a job opportunity that was too good to pass up.
“At some point it’s going to end for everybody. But those kids, heck, if nothing more I want those guys to be able to play. I mean, wow, is there a better example of commitment?” Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. “We talk about loyalty and commitment, and all these people around the country it’s opting out and transfer portal. And we’ve got five kids who are just trying to play.”
Welcome back, Furman seniors
All five players saw action in Furman’s 35-7 season-opening win Feb. 20 over Western Carolina.
Kroeber and Harris started up front for the Paladins, while defenders Owen, Wells and Seabrook came off the bench. The three each recorded tackles as the Paladins were back on the field for the first time in 448 days.
It was special for the five redshirt seniors who waited so long to get back on the field for one final season.
“There are men all over who had the chance to play high school football or college football who would give anything to go back and play,” Kroeber said. “For me I just figured that I didn’t want to get 10 years down the road and regret not coming back and playing with this opportunity that I have. That ended up being the deciding factor.”
The NCAA didn’t make it easy on the five.
Hendrix and Furman asked if the NCAA would make an exception — and give those seniors a waiver — so they could play this season without having to attend classes. The NCAA said no.
“The sad part about all of this stuff is they’re letting all these transfers do everything,” Hendrix said. “We even asked, ‘Look, let these kids graduate and don’t even make them go to class this spring. They’ve done everything you’ve asked them to do. And you’re granting waivers for every reason known to man.’ And they wouldn’t do it.”
So Kroeber and the others had to find new classes to take. Kroeber added physics and accounting classes He will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in science instead of arts.
“There was a lot of uncertainty about what the rules were going to be because I had everything I needed to graduate. What we ended up having to do is rearrange some of the stuff with my degree,” he said. “I’m definitely extremely fortunate to be able to take a class. The thought there was, since I’m going to be here for a semester, I should take something that will help me down the road. It will help me in the future for what I want to do.”
Ultimately Kroeber plans to work for an accounting firm after attending grad school at Vanderbilt.
That can wait for now. VMI defeated Furman 14-13 on Saturday in Game 2 of the Paladins’ eight-game regular season schedule. It’s a unique season that the entire Furman team is making sure to enjoy — no one more than the five redshirt seniors who chose to return.
“I’m constantly reminding myself to not take anything for granted,” Harris said. “Peace and gratitude have been the two things that are on my mind during these times just because you never know when it could be your last snap. You never know what’s going to happen.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
