Fighting Hawk has eye on NFL

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This article was published 15/09/2018 (2576 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – It was an warm, windless day earlier this week and most of the 106 members on the University of North Dakota’s football team were in full workout mode – sweating profusely in the late afternoon heat.

But Brady Oliveira, the Fighting Hawks’ 21-year-old senior running back from Winnipeg, was not one of them. And he was not happy to be a spectator.

His right knee had been heavily wrapped since hyperextending it during a Week 1 triumph over Mississippi Valley State.

The injury had limited his participation two days earlier when he carried the ball three times for 10 yards in UND’s 45-3 loss to the University of Washington Huskies, an NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision powerhouse.

On Saturday, UND travels to Huntsville, Texas for an crucial Football Championship Subdivision showdown with Sam Houston State, the fifth-ranked team in the country.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t 100 per cent,” said Oliveira following Monday’s two-hour practice. “It’s a long season and I didn’t want to risk it. I’ve got big plans ahead, so you’ve gotta look at the bigger picture.”

Oliveira, you come to realize quickly, is a big picture guy who relishes the smaller details of his college existence.

He is committed to his schooling (he’s a criminal justice major) and meticulous about his training with a special attention to his diet. For more than a year, he’s immersed himself in a vegan lifestyle after being introduced to it by his older brother Kyle, a professional MMA fighter. Brady insists he’s never felt better or healthier

“Even when it’s not full season, he always follows his diet,” said his mom, Shani Oliveira, whose daughter Kallee is a second-year member of the University of Winnipeg soccer team. “He’s always in the gym here and always in the gym in Grand Forks. He’s always doing his thing.”

Question is, what drives Oliveira so hard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI-UlN7pJ7I 

“I’ve been through a lot of adversity in my life through my childhood — financially it was tough growing up and it was always a struggle — and I just know, moneywise with the NFL, I know where it can take me,” said Oliveira.

“I know it can support my needs for my family. So that’s my main focus and it has been for years.”

The Oak Park grad, along with fellow Winnipegger Mason Bennett, a 256-pound defensive end by way of Vincent Massey Collegiate, have legitimate pro potential. 

“I think that’s realistic for Brady,” said UND head coach Bubba Schweigert, noting NFL scouts are regular visitors to the UND campus. “We’ll see with Mason. He’s taken a big jump in his career here and if he continues to improve, we try to do all we can to support our guys to live that dream of playing after college. Those two have done a good job of staying within the team goals and knowing that’s really important.”

The 5-10, 220-pound Oliveira, who rumbled for 108 yards in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State, totalled 248 yards in his freshman season and 897 yards as a sophomore, slipping to 637 as a junior in 2017.

Oliveira is also an adept pass catcher, which could make him an ideal fit for a CFL offence.

He’s hoping to post some big numbers as a senior but the Fighting Hawks’ chances of qualifying for the NCAA’s FCS playoffs will depend largely on a collaborative effort from UND’s three-headed juggernaut in the backfield, which consists of current leading rusher John Santiago, Oliveira and a 250-pound freight train named James Johannesson. 

“We don’t treat it like No. 1 guy, No. 2 guy — we don’t treat it like a depth chart,” said Santiago. “We’re brothers in the running back room, we’re brothers on the field, off the field. We hang out together. It’s all friendly competition and we compete every day. We all have a different skill set.

“We’ve got James, who’s the hammer. Brady’s he’s a hammer too but he’s also got some speed, those guys really like to go downhill. I’m more the agility guy, the guy that likes to get into open space.” 

Oliveira, who established Winnipeg High School Football League records with 1,723 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns and 162 points in his final season at Oak Park in 2014, has found a comfort level at UND. He’s at ease with his role as a team leader.

‘You know, I’ve played this game for so many years without getting paid. Obviously, I love this game but I want it to take me to a level where I can financially support my family.’
– UND Fighting Hawks running back, Winnipegger, Brady Oliveira

“It’s always been a friendship and a competitive rivalry going on here,” said Oliveira, who travelled with Santiago to El Salvador as part of a Catholic church outreach program called Focus Missions last spring. “There are never any hard feelings.

“I can kind of do it all. I’ve got some speed and I can definitely run north and south. That’s kinda more my game – I’m a physical runner but I can have some juice and I can catch the ball really well out of the backfield. It’s great being around so many elite level running backs.”

Oliveira was pleased to be rated the No. 7 prospect and the top running back in the recent 2019 CFL Draft rankings, but he has loftier ambitions.

“You know, I’ve played this game for so many years without getting paid,” said Oliveira. “Obviously, I love this game but I want it to take me to a level where I can financially support my family. It’s right around the corner, I can see it there. It’s hard not to think about it. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t think about it every day.

“I’m going to do what it takes and show my abilities. I’m a Canadian but I can play in the National Football League.”

Bennett, a redshirt junior, is also hungry for a pro career but the 20-year-old communications major is planning to return to UND in 2019 and complete his degree before becoming eligible for the 2020 NFL and CFL drafts.

He could opt in for 2019 but believes another year of college football would be worthwhile. Bennett, who had solid contributions as a reserve earlier in his career, made his first career start against Mississippi Valley State in Week 1 and racked up two sacks and three tackles for a loss in a blowout victory. 

UND defensive line coach Jordan Gigli points to an off-season turning point for his young protege. 

“He’s a very grounded guy, very humble and soft-spoken,” said Gigli. “You knew when it kind of clicked with him – for me it took until after last season for it to click… But there’s so much more left for him to achieve. After the season, he came in and said, ‘I’m gonna change.’ Kids come in and say that all the time but he put actions behind his words.”

As he matured, Gigli believed Bennett was able to turn the corner on becoming a complete college player.

“His whole mentality (changed),” added Gigli. “Yeah, he changed his nutrition, he changed his diet. Not that he wasn’t committed before but he was just different. I was waiting for that mature decision — where he said he was ready to put the time in, whether it was the film room, practice field or the weight room or the kitchen.

“Because kids made commitments in different areas — they might hit the weights real hard but don’t go to class. There are so many aspects to being a really good football player. He said he was going to and he followed through.”

Bennett aspires to reach the pro level one day but his more immediate goal is to help the Fighting Hawks get back to the post-season. 

“Making the playoffs would be huge,” said Bennett. “We made it a couple of years ago and won the Big Sky (Conference) and one year we didn’t get voted into the playoffs. Focus on the week to week and then making the playoffs and from there, treating every week like a playoff game. Obviously, a national championship is our main goal and we’re focusing on that every week.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14