Corey Ganz had a breakout season as a junior at the tackle position on the offensive line. He came to SWOSU as a tight-end back in 2015 from Enid High School in Enid, OK where he played basketball for four years and only played one year of high school varsity football. He had offers from several NCAA Division II’s around Oklahoma and surrounding states and a preferred walk-on offer from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. He chose SWOSU as it was close to home and he knew what he would get out of coming here.
“As a player at SWOSU I have learned how to adapt and change to what the team needs me to do. I learned to sacrifice for the team. As a person it has taught me how to do whatever it takes to be the best I can in any situation. Taught me that no matter what, I can’t just give up, I can’t just stop and I have to persevere and push through it.”
When he got here, as stated earlier, he was playing tight-end and had to transform into a college football player. He weighed 245 lbs. and was 6’6”. This is optimal for playing the tight-end spot, but his body was not physically ready for the abuse a college football player endures. He, like all freshman, had to learn to work in the weight room, eat right and enough, and work to maintain his body. During the last two years he has put on almost 50 lbs. to become a starting tackle on the offensive line. This past fall, in his first year at the tackle position, he started every game and earned an All Great American Conference Honorable Mention award and a Second Team All-OklahomaSportsNetwork.Net award.
Although he earned some great recognition last season, Corey isn’t to focused on himself right now. I had the opportunity to interview him and he rarely talked about himself, even when the questions were about him. I asked him what he thought about the upcoming season and he never said a word about himself.
“As a team I know we will accomplish a lot this year and I cannot wait to see what happens compared to last season. I believe we have the ability to win the Great American Conference and go to the post season, whether that be a bowl game or the NCAA Division II Playoffs. I know our offense has the capability to break some records and I am very excited about that.”
Now, when I asked him again about his personal goals he laughed and was very humble. Corey told me how he strived to be the best player he could be on the field and an even better person off the field. He explained how he wanted to be first team all-conference and an all-American and how even if this doesn’t happen, he just wants to set an example and be a leader on the team. He really wants to show the younger players on this team what it means to be a Bulldog.
When Corey wraps up his senior season, he wants to pursue football as long as it will let him. He explained to me what football has meant to him.
“Being able to play football for this long has truly been an honor. Not everyone gets to do what I do and it means a lot that God has given me this opportunity. Football has helped me pay for my education and this game has given me some of my best friends that I will have for a lifetime even when football is over.”
He hopes to play in a senior bowl and see how far he can go with football and possibly try out the professional ranks. He is on track to graduate in 2020 and plans to get a job as an accountant at a firm somewhere and begin his work to become a Certified Public Accountant.
Whatever Corey decides to do, he will be great at it and is going to continue to be a great person and a great friend to whoever he meets.
Comments