Linn senior football players Joe Brandt and Craig Laughlin signed letters of intent on Friday to play for William Woods University next year.

Coach Steve Samson praised their efforts to get to this point, and encouraged them to continue progressing. “Both of them really worked hard for the last four years,” he said. “They paid the price on the practice field, game field, weight room, and in the classroom. They’ve done everything that we’ve asked them to do, and this is a reward for them. Now, they need to go to the next level with the same mentality of outworking everybody on the opposing team and their position groups as hard work is the equalizer in everything that we do. If they learned anything from me, it’s to outwork everybody on the field. I have no doubt they’ll be successful.”

This is the first time that Linn football players have signed to play collegiate football.

Brandt, who plans to pursue a degree in business administration, has loved football all his life. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I learned what football was, so I think it’s just like when I started high school. It’s a different level, I’ll put the work in. I enjoy the sport, so it’s a lot easier to work hard when you enjoy something so much. I think transition will be fine.”

When he was younger, Brandt told his parents that he planned to walk on to a college team, if necessary. Until this year, he wasn’t sure he would have an opportunity to earn scholarships or sign a letter of intent.

“I definitely didn’t think this was going to be an opportunity this quickly,” he said. “It started becoming a reality later in my junior season. I started going to camp, having conversation with coaches, and getting invites to places. That’s when it kind of started becoming a reality.”

Brandt earned first-team defensive lineman from the Missouri Sportswriters & Sportscasters Association after last season with 72 tackles (38 solo, 34 assists), two sacks, eight TFLs, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Laughlin said football has always come first. “It was a very big goal of mine,” he said. “Getting to play any sport was great. I always thought maybe basketball or baseball would be what I played in college, but football came first. I thought that’d be the last one I ever get.”

Injured at the end of the football season, Laughlin has worked very hard after surgery to get back into the basketball line-up while preserving his health for football.

“The knee is doing really good right now,” Laughlin said. “I’ve been trying to get better every single day. I’ll be ready when I get up there, for sure. I’ll be fighting for my spot. I don’t want to be given the job for free. I’ll be the guy that fights for everything.”

Laughlin finished his senior year with a first-team defensive back position on the medial All-District team. He posted 83 tackles (48 solo, 35 assists), 11 TFLs, three INTs, two forced fumbles, and had a fumble recovery.

Laughlin plans to study sports management.