Brandon Easterling

Safety

Dayton

Ed Hunt:  What are your measurements? (Height, Weight and 40 time)

Brandon Easterling:  I’m 6’0, 210 pounds now, but during the season I am 200-205.  My fastest 40 was a 4.56.

Ed Hunt:  What has happened to your training due to the COVID-19?

Brandon Easterling:  It’s definitely changed.  UD (Dayton) kind of shut down, and I didn’t have a weight room accessible to me.  All we have is a band and some dumbbells.  It has been a lot of body weight and band workouts.  It was still a good workout.  As far as running, nothing has really changed.

Ed Hunt:  What are the expectations for the Dayton team in 2020?

Brandon Easterling:  Going to be a team that a lot of people are going to overlook.  But we are going to win a conference championship and get our first playoff win, if not a championship.  That’s our expectations.

Ed Hunt:  What is the biggest strength of this Dayton team in 2020?

Brandon Easterling:  It’s hard to break down this leadership.  The seniors we do have are more bought in than any other senior class we have had.  Our senior group has learned from the previous senior groups.  Our defense has 8 of 11 returning starters. We are going to be a much more balanced football team.

Ed Hunt:  What can you tell me about your former teammate TE Adam Trautman?

Brandon Easterling:  I don’t even know where to begin.  Great guy, freak athlete, and the dude is built for the NFL.  He is down to earth and his leadership skills is what stands out.  He offered to help with my draft process.  I’m talking to a lot of scouts.  He’s generous in how he is there for everybody else.

Ed Hunt:  What schools were interested in you out of high school?

Brandon Easterling:  I seem to attract every level you can think of.  I had 50-80 coaches talk to me.  At the FBS level, I had a few preferred walk-on offers.  I had OU and one at Rutgers.  I was constantly talking to coaches up there.  The whole Pioneer League was talking to me.  The Ivy League was big.  Then, every division-II school in Ohio.  I was getting it from every level.

Ed Hunt:  What made you pick Dayton out of high school?

Brandon Easterling:  Out of high school, I knew I wanted to play at the highest level possible.  I wanted to make sure I was going somewhere where I was really wanted.  I visited plenty of FCS schools.  Dayton was close to home, and I thought it would be cool to strap up for the city that raised me.  I felt like I knew these guys my whole life.  The feel is something that sealed the deal with Dayton.

Ed Hunt:  Tell me about your work on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

Brandon Easterling:  We call it SAAC.  Our mission is to unify all sports teams within Dayton.  We want to have some sort of committee, which is a voice for the athletes.  We have 4-5 usually.  We meet 1-2 times per month.  We’ve done a breast cancer walk.  We do different fundraisers and activities.  I represent the football team and do things that bring everybody together.

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest sport outside of football?

Brandon Easterling:  My most successful sport was basketball.  I went to Fairmont high school.  My sophomore year through senior year, we had good teams and the problem was I was only six foot.  I loved the sport and atmosphere of the game (basketball).

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest accomplishment in football?

Brandon Easterling:  Honestly, up to date getting voted to an AP All-American team or being a finalist for the Buck Buchanan award.  Those are my biggest accomplishments.

Ed Hunt:  What are your strengths (on the football field)?

Brandon Easterling:  I think right off the bat, I’m a very aggressive safety.  I’m a downhill guy.  I joke that I would love to be a linebacker because I love to come down with bad intentions.  One of my goals is being a great leader in terms of letting guys know what is going on, but this year more than ever.  I’m always big on bringing the juice, so that’s kind of what I am always shooting for.

Ed Hunt:  What are your weaknesses?

Brandon Easterling:  One of my biggest weaknesses is at times I try to do too much.  Sometimes, you just have to accept the play is not going to come to you.  I would try to do my job and try to do their job.  That was probably the biggest weakness.  Also, I am pretty hard on myself.  I actually think after game two last season, I think I’ve done a great job about not beating myself up about it.

Ed Hunt:  What is the highlight of your career?

Brandon Easterling:  So far, I would have to say either this year when we played Drake, I had three interceptions or my team finishing 8-3.  Some people don’t realize how hard it is to go 8-3 in college football.  If you are 8-3 in the BCS, then you are in the top 25.

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest accomplishment in college?

Brandon Easterling:  I would probably say my biggest accomplishment as a student is that I made the Dean’s list 4-5 times and as an athlete probably getting voted a class representative for the junior class.  Every two weeks, we meet with the coaches and we are the voice for the class on the team and that is always nice to have within your team.

Ed Hunt:  What have you learned the most from your coaching staff?

Brandon Easterling:  I would honestly say coming into college, I was a competitive.  When I was young, I was a hot head.  When I didn’t perform, I would shut down.  Watching coach Chamberlin, I’ve never seen someone by the rule of the book.  Watching him day in and day out, your coach doesn’t get worked up.  He taught me how to take deep breathes and develop a next play mentality.

Ed Hunt:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Brandon Easterling:  Pittsburgh Steelers.  My grandfather is from Pittsburgh, and I follow them, despite being from the Dayton area.

Ed Hunt:  Who is an NFL player you model your game after or watch tape on?

Brandon Easterling:  Right off the bat, I have to say the Honey Badger.  The thing I love about him is the way he goes about his business on the field.  He’s a physical guy too and he is a playmaker.  I think he is a little shorter than me.

Ed Hunt:  What is the most important trait for a safety?

Brandon Easterling:  Just speaking from about our defense is their leadership role and being vocal and pre-snap judgement.  In our defense, it is very important.  I’ve been learning the pass stunts and line stunts.  You can’t be a passive guy playing safety.

Ed Hunt:  Before the ball is snapped, what tendencies are you looking for in the offense?

Brandon Easterling:  They vary between teams.  The tendencies I get watching film.  I get a read on cadence.  It’s either going to be A or B or one option.  I look at the QB, offensive linemen whether they are in a two-point or three-point stance, and receiver splits.  It definitely varies because we do a ton of film study, but those are the universal things that we look for.

Ed Hunt:  What players from your team should we keep an eye on for next year, whether it be seniors or underclassmen?

Brandon Easterling:  Our QB is an absolute stud (Jack Cook).  I believe he was on the freshman All-American team.  He’s getting some looks.  On our offense, our running back was voted all-academic (Jake Chisholm).  He is about to be a junior.

Ed Hunt:  Who is the best player you have faced on an opposing team?

Brandon Easterling:  I’d probably have to say Duquesne’s A.J. Hines.  He was arguably the best running back in the country.  He can move and is big.  He was a problem.  He was the most important guy we would worry about when we played Duquesne.  From the San Diego team, there was QB Reid Sinnett.  He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers and he was a good ball player.

Ed Hunt:  What do you enjoy most about football?

Brandon Easterling:  Just the competitiveness.  The thing that scares me about football is not having something to take my competitive edge out on after.  I just absolutely love to practice.  I just love to compete and love to be out there.

Ed Hunt:  What makes you unique?

Brandon Easterling:  I think what makes me unique is I can almost be used as a utility guy.  I’ve been a corner, safety, outside linebacker, punt returner, long snapper, gunner, on the line for punt team, and a four-phase special teamer.  Currently on the roster, I am starting on all four special teams.  I came off because I was getting winded.   In high school, I played QB, running back, and safety.  I can play any position except the positions that I need to be 300 pounds like OL and DL.

Ed Hunt:  What are your hobbies?

Brandon Easterling:  Outside of football, I love to golf.  I just got into it three months ago.  I also play a decent amount of video games.  I’m also into cars.  I drive a Mustang, I’m just kind of big into them.

Ed Hunt:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career?

Brandon Easterling:  I know that I want to be a coach.  I don’t know at what level.  I think after football, I will be a GA.  I work in some cybersecurity stuff.  That industry is booming right now.  I could see myself in it later on in life.

Ed Hunt:  What five words best describe you?

Brandon Easterling:  Determined, loyal, hungry, perseverance, and dreamer.  I like to dream and I’m doing everything I can to reach those.  I’m thinking about what that might be like.