It is a far cry from Western Washington to Pittsburg State University.
Linebacker Caleb Jessup can speak volumes over just how different things are for him.
The 6-foot senior transfer from the now-defunct Western Washington football program, has been in Pittsburg getting acclimated to his new team and new surroundings.
“It is definitely different,” said Jessup, who comes from Kenmore, Wash. “I’ve been here [Pittsburg] all summer working with the team and that has been my acclamation period.”
Now, the player that was named first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference as a junior last season, is working his way into a potential role with the Gorillas.
But, PSU defensive coordinator Dave Wiemers said that Jessup is doing just fine.
“With the addition of him, it just makes us better,” Wiemers said.
Last season, Jessup led the Vikings with 128. The next closest player had 76.
Of those tackles, 66 were solo and he also racked up 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and two pass deflections.
“A lot of stuff is similar but we have very high expectations here and that does put a lot of pressure on,” Jessup said.
As if being left out in the cold when Western Washington decided to cut its Division II football program was not hard enough.
“Getting the helmet and wearing red instead of blue is really different,” Jessup said. “I’ve bought in and I’m ready to be a Gorilla though.”
