TAMPA, Fla. – USF senior defensive tackle Major Dillard has a major obsession with playing in the trenches.
“A lot of people don’t like playing nose guard,” Dillard said. “Personally, I love it.”
The 330-pound defensive lineman loves it because it requires that nose to the grindstone mentality.
What they’re saying:
“That’s pretty much my world – aggressiveness and tenacity,” Dillard said.
And he’s had to use that tenacity to get to this point in his college football career.
“It’s been me having to prove myself in order to get where I am trying to go,” Dillard said.
The backstory:
Dillard has certainly proven a lot. He didn’t get hardly any looks out of high school except from a small Division 2 school, Chowan, out of North Carolina.
“You are in the middle of nowhere far from home,” Dillard said. “You just have to keep your head down and keep grinding and keep trying to strive for the best.”
Dillard kept grinding, and it landed him a spot at Norfolk State.
“Just looking for a better opportunity to keep climbing to the next levels,” Dillard said.
After showing his skill set at that level, he found himself at USF.
In love with the 813
“When I came on my official visit, it was like being in paradise,” Dillard said. “It was like I was out of the country. It’s beautiful, man.”
It was a hard road getting to this point, but Dillard remained committed to his craft, and it makes him appreciate his path to get to USF.
“Definitely, there are times and nights where you stay up wondering, ‘Man, I hope this is the right decision,'” Dillard said. “‘I hope I am in the right place.’ That’s when you just have to trust God and keep working. Just do the extra things every day. Go the extra steps and do what you can.”
He’s gone the extra mile, and Dillard doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“I just proved that I can compete with those guys that were four stars in high school, five stars in high school,” Dillard said. “Even though that wasn’t me, I am out here competing.”
What’s next:
Dillard and the Bulls play in their annual spring game on Sunday.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Mark Skol, Jr. during a USF football press conference following a spring practice.