Dayton offensive lineman earns captain role in second season as starter

“Chick used to do a show called Monday Morning Quarterback when the Bengals were so bad,” Tom said, “and I would rant and rave. I was the honest fan. I called them out when they were terrible, and they were terrible. He would keep me on for 20 minutes.”

Tom could talk for much longer about his son, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound redshirt sophomore from Milford High School who earned a starting job for the first time last fall and will start again with a more experienced unit when Dayton begins the season Sept. 3 at Robert Morris.

Tom and his wife Terri attended every game last year and will be at every game this year.

“It‘s kind of a dream come true actually,” Tom said. “He wasn’t sure what he was going to do coming out of high school. He was a big high school player, but he was like an inch shorter than what they require, and so you get looked over.”

Brian redshirted as a freshman in 2019 and then didn’t get a chance to play his second season in 2020, which was cancelled because of the pandemic. Stevens grew as the season progressed along with his fellow first-time starters David Tkatch, Marc Rumpke, Dylan DeMaison and Mason McLaughlin.

“We took really great strides last year, especially in those final three games,” Stevens said, “and I hope we take that momentum into this year.”

Stevens won the Stan Kurdziel Memorial Trophy, which goes to the team’s top lineman, and earned an All-Pioneer Football League honorable mention.

Dayton offensive coordinator Josh Hendershot and head coach Rick Chamberlin talked about Stevens on Sunday during the team’s annual media day photo session at the Jerry Von Mohr Practice Field.

“Last year, we saw a lot of great things from him from a leadership standpoint, from a play standpoint,” Hendershot said. “He was a guy that obviously didn’t have any experience playing college football. He came in (as a freshman) probably weighing anywhere from roughly 235-250 pounds, and he’s worked extremely, extremely hard in the weight room with his nutrition. He’s done everything you’d expect from a guy that wants to be a great football player. That’s what you look for any captain, and that’s exactly what he’s done.”

“Last year, what I saw from Brian is he’s very focused,” Chamberlin said. “He’s an individual that knows what it takes to win, and he’s determined to make sure the guys around him understand that, too. He’s a great leader for that offensive line. He’s great coach himself on the field.”

Stevens is one of three captains. Fifth-year senior running back Jake Chisholm and linebacker Ben Schmiesing, a graduate student from Piqua, are the others. The players voted on the captains in the spring.

“You’ve got to be the voice,” Stevens said. “You’ve got to be the guy who sets the example and keeps guys in line. You’ve got to demand excellence from everybody on the team, whether it’s a freshman on scout team or another senior in your same grade or even a fifth-year guy who may not be a captain. It’s big responsibility, but this team’s got a bunch of great leaders. So it’s not just three guys that have have to be the voice. There’s a lot of voices on the team.”

Stevens is living a dream for his parents and also his grandma. Tom said Terri’s mom Carol, who died in 2018, would have loved to see her grandson at UD.

“The Catholic piece was very key to her, and part of her inheritance helped pay off some of the Dayton tuition,” Tom said. “This would have been a big thing for her. She’s watching over him.”