There are people who choose to play football, who seek it out for their own reasons. There are also people who have a family tradition of playing football. Then there are the people who are sought out to play football, whose coaches see potential in them and push them toward it.
Brandon Slater is one of those people. His size and physical stature made him an easy target for high school coaches.
“I chose football because I was a big guy in high school,” Slater said. “It’s a physical sport, and the head coach for my high school team kept bugging me about it.”
Now a senior defensive tackle for the Eastern Michigan University football team, Slater, a 6-foot-2, 280-pounder, has turned size and power into efficiency on the field that has had a lasting impact on the Eagles.
Up until this point in his college career, Slater has played in 36 games and made 30 starts.
He has 69 career tackles with 6.5 tackles-for-loss of 19 yards. But to fellow senior defensive lineman, Javon Reese, Slater’s best quality cannot be seen on the stat sheets.
“Energy,” Reese said of what his teammate brings to the team. “He’s one of our most powerful D-linemen, he’s a good guy to be around. Work habit; he works hard in the weight room, works hard in class and brings power
everywhere he goes.”
Certainly, his hard work has not gone unnoticed. Slater earned an Iron Eagle Award at the conclusion of the 2011 spring drills, which is given to one player at every position by the EMU sports performance staff for the highest point total during a seven-week conditioning project.
Slater is a native of Southfield, where he graduated from Lathrup High School. In his senior season, he recorded 106 tackles (54 solo), seven sacks, four pass deflections and three forced fumbles.
He also played tight end and had 20 receptions with eight touchdowns. Slater also participated in track and field, as well as, cross country during his high school career.
Everyone has their passions and something they find themselves more attached to than most other things in their lives. For Slater, that one thing happens to be his family.
“He deeply cares for his family his love for his family is inspiring,” Reese said.
Upon graduation, Slater decided to make Eastern his new home. Part of that decision was based on the location of EMU, as it is close to Southfield. And if you have been to a football game since the 2008 season, it’s almost guaranteed that you have either seen or heard the Slater fan section that comes to support him every weekend.
“It means the world to me that my family is there to back me up at all of my games,” Slater said. “It makes me happy to see how proud they are of me.”
Not only was EMU close to his hometown, but the atmosphere and people on campus also helped Slater in his decision.
“I chose EMU because I felt like it was home, and also it was close to home,” Slater said. “And the coaches and players made me feel welcome.
Slater was redshirted in his first year at EMU but got right to work in the 2008 season as he played in each of the Eagles’ 12 games and made nine starts. He finished the season with 11 tackles and two tackles-for-loss of five yards. He was also named the Defensive Big Playmaker for his performance in the Indiana State game on Aug. 28 after recording two tackles and one blocked kick.
Since then, Slater has become a power house for the Eagles’ defense. From physical strength to a higher football IQ, each year he gets better.
“I have become better at reading my keys,” Slater said. “I’ve learned how to recognize things on the field that help narrow down what I can expect from the other team, and I have become more physical.”
After spending four years in Ypsilanti, Slater has been able to take a lot of life lessons away from football, coaches and class.
From responsibility to standing strong through hard times, Slater has had experiences that will equip him in the next phase of his life.
“[My college football career] has taught me life lessons; how to organize my time between school, football and my personal life,” Slater said. “It has taught me to be responsible, how to fight through adversity; just how to be a man.”
With being a college student-athlete comes the inevitable: You will spend more hours of your day with your teammates than anyone else. So, it would only be befitting that the one thing Slater enjoys most about this team is his teammates and how they have come to develop a brotherhood.
“My favorite thing about this team is the togetherness,” Slater said. “Everybody’s starting to come together as one, we’re starting to trust each other, we’re starting to be as one team.”
But none of his teammates, or anyone in the city of Ypsilanti for that matter, has had a greater impact on the life of Slater than Javon Reese.
“He’s a positive person,” Slater said of Reese. “He’s helped me through some tough times, when I lost my grandparents, and he’s like my partner in crime.”
Slater is seeking a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Upon completion of his program, Slater plans to play football professionally or he would like to take a job as an FBI agent.
“I just don’t want to be stuck in an office all day,” Slater said. “I’d much rather go out and solve crimes.”
When he’s not on the field, in the classroom or in his books, Slater likes to do word search puzzles, spend time with his family, especially his younger brother, and watch “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Slater’s favorite turtle is Rapheal, hands-down.
So far this season, Slater has posted 25 tackles with three tackles-for-loss of 15 yards. He recorded a sack for nine yards in the Eagles’ contest with Alabama State on Sept. 10 and put up a season-high five tackles on Oct. 1 against Akron.
As he finishes out this season and his college career, Slater certainly has the potential to succeed.
