Q&A with Troy defensive end Brandon Lang

By Drew Champlin

Published: July 16, 2008

TROY — Academics kept Brandon Lang out of college football for two years. He never expected an injury setback.

But that’s what happened for the Trojan defensive end who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Troy’s third game of the season last year, forcing him to miss the rest of the year.

Now a junior, Lang is expected to be one of the focal points of the Troy defense. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Lang is rated as the Sun Belt’s top NFL Draft prospect by the Sporting News preseason football magazine.

Lang spent time with the Dothan Eagle for a recent interview.

You almost got to play in the last two games last year. What changed that?

They didn’t want to risk it. They said to wait, it wasn’t even worth coming back. I didn’t think it was possible anyway to come back that soon from an ACL.

(Head trainer) Chuck (Ash) and Dr. (Jeffrey) Dugas, both of them broke it down from me. They told me that coming back too fast from it could mess up the full recovery. They told me I’ve got a lot more years to play so I just thought about the big picture.

How did your maturity level change after the injury?

It made me grow up a whole lot. It made me realize that football can be taken away like that and to focus on other things like school.

Do you think about if you’d be in the pros now if things had worked out right after high school? (The 22-year-old Lang signed with Georgia out of high school, didn’t have the test score, went to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, came to Troy but was not eligible for the 2005 season).

I should have been there this past draft. If (26-year-old) Gary Banks can do it, then maybe I can. I guess I’m scheduled for 2010.

Since people say you’ve got the skill and size, do you think about trying to come out early?

I don’t need to be thinking about that. I just focus on what I need to do for (Troy). It does cross my mind, but my main thing now is to graduate, and Lord willing, to go on to the league. I’m on course to graduate in the fall of 2009, which would be my senior year. I’ve been doing pretty good in the class (in sport and fitness management).

Did people think you’d graduate college back when you were in high school?

It wasn’t anything like that, but ‘is he the type to do some work in the college?’ I fell in that jock category in high school, but I’ve proved a lot of people wrong and maintained what I’ve needed to do. I remember (former Troy coach Mike Pelton) telling me a long time ago how important it was to graduate. (NFL all-pros and Troy alums) Demarcus (Ware) and Osi (Umenyiora), they both graduated and everything else then takes care of itself.

What kind of student were you in high school?

I was a good student. I wasn’t just a come to school and let teachers give me grades. I was in the choir. School, football, anybody would pick football over school. That was back then.

So your GPA was fine to go to Georgia?

Didn’t have the SAT. I qualified, but Georgia’s got a certain standard of what you’ve got to qualify to get in to the University.

Did you talk to some Georgia guys during the game last year?

I talked to coach (Rodney) Garner, coach (Mark) Richt, some of my ex-teammates that played high school ball with me. It was hard sitting out that game. It made me want to cry almost, but it happened for a reason. That’s how I look at it.

Is the underdog role still there when you guys play schools from bigger conferences?

It’s no underdog. I just feel if we can come out and play, we’re one of the best teams in the country. We proved that against Oklahoma State. We’ve got a lot of experience out there on the field. Everybody’s played in big games, so they know what’s on the line.