WACO, Texas — University of Montana Grizzlies offensive lineman Declan McCabe is heading to the 2024 FCS championship.
“This is something that you dream about as a kid" he said during a FaceTime interview.
The Grizzlies face off with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in Frisco, Texas this Sunday.
He said, “I think, there’s a saying we have that if you’re not nervous you just don’t care enough so I’m a little nervous but I think I’m more excited than anything just to be able to get down there. It’s essentially a home game for me.”
The 21-year-old graduated from Midway High School and their football program has helped him on the college level.
“It’s pretty similar to a lot of colleges around these days. Honestly it was really good for me to be able to be apart of it because I think it helped me to be that much ahead of the learning curve" McCabe said.
While he’s almost two thousand miles away from home, his support team—including his parents—are just a phone call, text or FaceTime call away and that puts a smile on his face.
While smiling he said, “Supports great. I mean I call my family just about every other day.”
During the interview, his mother Courtney Sampson said, “Our family delves pretty deep into humor and sarcasm so we always try to bring some uplifting advice. To be honest, I think we use football as ‘this is how you could prepare yourself for the future.'”
Now graduation is around the corner for the athlete but he plans to continue his education and get his MBA while continuing to play football but he’s not limiting his dreams.
He said, “I mean I’d love to get a shot to play in the NFL but if that doesn’t work out then I just wanna be the best player I can be.”
The Grizzlies and Jackrabbits face off Sunday January 7th on ABC and on ESPN. Kick off is at 1 p.m.
