Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1061429
26 JANUARY 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE N otre Dame fifth-year senior Drue Tranquill opens a win- dow to his soul when he shares a story about how as a middle schooler he was sitting on his bedroom floor praying for an op- portunity to someday play big-time football somewhere. Tranquill's request is obviously a popular one for the countless sev- enth- or eight-graders striving for the fame and fortune college and professional sports provide. But the motives driving Tranquill's prayers had nothing to do with personal ac- complishments or NFL aspirations. "I wanted to get to a place where I had the platform to give back," Tran- quill said. "I wanted to use any suc- cess that I might achieve in football as a stage to help others." Tranquill's prayer was answered and his stage set back in 2014 when this lightly recruited linebacker out of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., flipped his commitment from Purdue to Notre Dame after then- Irish linebackers coach Mike Elston extended a scholarship offer late in the recruiting process. "It took a lot of prayer and consid- eration to reopen my recruitment," Tranquill said. But after much soul searching and consultation, Tranquill recog- nized how Notre Dame provided everything he prayed for, mainly the platform to reach thousands of people and seal the deal he made as a youngster with his higher power. "It was one of the toughest deci- sions I have ever made but I decided that Notre Dame was the place for me," Tranquill recalled. "It provided me with everything I needed to grow as a player, as a student, in my faith and in my mission." Tranquill wasted no time making good on that mission when he started a campus-based volunteer program in 2016 called "5th Quarter." That or- ganization works in conjunction with Dream Teams, a Notre Dame service club that connects student-athletes with inner-city youth in the South Bend community who are struggling in the classroom because of a lack of guidance and support at home. "It's so much bigger than football," said Tranquill, who believes the re- wards he reaps personally from his outreach far outweigh any time he gives. "I'm blessed to have this op- portunity to try and help others, try and make a difference." Tranquill's service work hasn't gone unnoticed. On Dec. 4, he became the 14th winner of the Danny Wuerffel Trophy, an award given annually to the college football player who best exhib- its exemplary community service. In a statement announcing Tranquill as the winner of the award, Wuerffel said, "What he has done in serving others off the field, along with his work in the classroom and on the playing field, represents the true meaning of the award." IDLE TIME, WASTED TIME The full story of 23-year-old Drue Tranquill is difficult to chronicle in just one article because his life al- ready reads like a full-length novel. Philanthropist, academic All- American, college graduate, two- time Irish team captain, happily mar- ried, survivor, role model — those are just a few chapters that Tranquill has already written during his time at Notre Dame. He is so motivated, organized, dedicated and well-rounded, Irish head coach Brian Kelly accused his star linebacker of unintentionally stirring feelings of inferiority among his teammates. "It's hard to imagine being Drue Tranquill," Kelly said. "An engi- neering student, a great player, a great citizen, great in the commu- nity, spiritually. "He was almost too hard to imag- ine and almost too hard to mirror." And while excelling in every as- pect of life is admirable — especially for a 20-something college student — Tranquill remarkably recognized during last season that striving to be great at everything personally doesn't come without a price exter- nally, and his cost was a growing de- tachment with his teammates. "I realized that for so long here I had worried about executing on the field, doing well in the classroom, getting my school stuff done," Tran- quill explained. "I was doing a long-distance rela- tionship with my fiancée. I was in- volved in so many different things, campus clubs and ministries, I felt that I spread myself thin. I almost let my relationship with the guys be- come a second thought. "So last year I made it an emphasis and a focus to spend more time with them and really dedicate myself and my time to our relationships." Always serving a higher power, Tranquill explained that the "sin" he has "forever struggled with" is a pre- occupation with endlessly striving to become better. Irish junior cornerback Julian Love even called his team- mate "the perfect person," GIVING BACK Drue Tranquill has taken full advantage of the platform provided to him by Notre Dame Tranquill received this year's Danny Wuerffel Trophy, an award given annually to the college football player who best exhibits exemplary com- munity service. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA