Of the 128 FCS programs, just 14 have a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team, which requires active involvement with a charitable organization or service group and a strong academic standing. Ours is DeValon Whitcomb, a three-time team captain who is entering his seventh year at USD. That's right, Whitcomb entered as a tight end who redshirted back in 2015, Joe Glenn's final season. A new position and nearly two degrees later and Whitcomb is ready for one last hurrah with his teammates.
 
The amount of good works Whitcomb has been associated with throughout his USD time is frankly too much to list in this space. Instead, know the why. Whitcomb's father died when he was six. He has lost a brother, a cousin and a grandfather. He grew up in the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club, and he has made it his mission to give back.
 
In that way, football and academics are one of the same for Whitcomb and why he didn't have to think twice about taking an extra lap. He has a younger brother and numerous cousins who boast about seeing him play on the field. And in the classroom, he has been learning how to build his own non-profit organization so others can follow in his footsteps.
 
"It started off as a class project in one of Rich Braunstein's classes," said Whitcomb. "He is a great professor here on campus. It was one of those projects where I just kept typing and turned it in, he read it, and said he was interested and wanted to help me get it going.
 
"It's been in the works for about 2-3 years, just slowly adding on to that project, creating mission statements, figuring out ways to write grants, how to do case studies, a lot of small minuet work and it's very interesting when you figure it out. It's something I've been thinking about since my junior year of college and Dr. Braunstein helped point me in the right direction."
 
Whitcomb earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science back in 2019 and has spent his last two years on a master's program filled with management classes for sports and non-profit organizations. A portfolio project that relates back to his non-profit plans are all that remain for the fall semester.
 
Real-world experience has come from the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity where he served as chapter president for two years. He continues to be involved with a mentoring program for Omaha North High School and volunteers for Special Olympics and the Boys and Girls Club. He's worked with The Simple Foundation since March of 2020.
 
"I want to give kids the same opportunities that I had," said Whitcomb. "The time spent here, the people I've met out in the community and the work I've put in this project over the last 3-4 years will help me achieve that."
 
On the football field, Whitcomb has a new position coach in Corey Brown and Whitcomb is trying to absorb as much new knowledge as he can. Early fall camp work has focused on fundamentals starting with the hands and feet and breaking it all down on film.
 
"Being a captain means everything," said Whitcomb. "More than a hundred teammates trust me to lead them on and off the field. I feel like I can talk to anybody, no matter what they're going through, I always have an ear for them. They also know I'm locked in and that it's us versus everybody else on our schedule. We love the game so much and we're all striving for that same goal to get a win at the end of each week."