http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83575697/
Humble Brett Heggie keeps offers, even from The U, in perspective
Brett Heggie is one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Florida.
Tell that to the Mount Dora High center, however, and his initial reaction is, “Who, me?”
“I try not to look at it like that,” Heggie said of putting himself among the state’s elite. “I know there are a lot of good offensive linemen out there and I hear about them, and I’m sure, I guess, they hear about me, but I try not to look at it as if I’m one of the top offensive linemen. ... I just go out there and play and whatever happens happens.”
Even with college scholarship offers from Miami, Appalachian State, Bowling Green and Tulane rolling in this past week, he remained grounded.
In a society where everyone seems to feel the need to let the world know they are better than the rest, Brett Heggie is a breath of fresh air.
He’s humble, and it’s more than a tossed-around cliché with Heggie. Humble is his character; a trait that many people talk about learning but rarely come close to understanding.
To be humble is to recognize one’s self-importance and be cognizant of not placing it above that of another.
Selflessness defines itself. But in our society, for many people to be selfless, the initial understanding requires a dictionary. Sad as it might be, being selfless is not what we understand as Americans.
So when there are those who buck the trend, they stand out, even though they are just trying to be part of a team.
Heggie is grateful for his talents, works hard to make himself better and understands there is always someone out there who could knock him right off his pedestal, if he chose to live upon a pedestal.
Heggie just wants to do his part. He just wants to make those around him better. In doing that, however, he has started to pick up interest from some of college football’s big-name recruiters.
The biggest school on his list so far is Miami, and Heggie has managed to impress veteran offensive line coach Art Kehoe. UM running backs coach Tim Harris was in Mount Dora on Wednesday and Kehoe came out the next day. As soon as the pair returned to Coral Gables to report back to head coach Al Golden, Heggie had an offer.
“Miami is definitely a team I will be considering at the end,” Heggie said. “Coach Harris came by the school on Wednesday and I talked to him a little bit, and then Coach Kehoe came by on Thursday and they said they were going to go back and meet with the head coach ... and it was Friday early, about seven o’clock, they called Coach [Donnie] Burchfield and said they were going to offer a full ride.
“It was special to land that school. That’s a huge offer for me. I was thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a big offer if I could land that one,’ and then it happened. I was excited about it.”
He may soon have another school to be considering. The Florida Gators could be next in line. Offensive line coach Mike Summers was also at practice last week.
“They said they were going to have their meetings and I’m supposed to know [Monday],” Heggie said. “Florida is another great school. I think it’s just something I have to look into and evaluate, but Florida would definitely be big time, SEC ... that would be another school I’d look into.
“It’s kind of crazy. Thursday I came to school and I had three offers by second period. I think it’s kind of because it’s on their calendar to come to my school, because I went from nothing all spring to talking to maybe 10 coaches in one day.”
It’s nice to hear the genuine enthusiasm in his voice. Whether it’s Appy State or Miami, he’s like a kid at Christmas with each offer.
Burchfield, Mount Dora’s new head coach, didn’t take long to recognize the unselfish attitude of the 6-foot-4, 290-pound center who has been a starter for the Hurricanes since his freshman season.
Burchfield, who came over from South Lake, wrote in an email on Friday, “[Heggie] has been working extremely hard this spring and is an amazing leader on the football field. The thing I like the most about him is his humbleness.”
He has slowly piled up 17 offers since his sophomore year, when Cincinnati was the first to extend an opportunity, but he said his senior year has come fast.
“It feels like yesterday when I was starting my first varsity game as a freshman,” Heggie said. “When spring started this year, Coach said, ‘OK, seniors come up,’ and it kind of took a second, like, ‘Wow, I’m a senior now.’ ”
He doesn’t find it difficult to carry himself in the manner that he does.
His parents, Bruce Heggie and Susan Heggie, have raised all of their children this way. It’s also an athletic family.
Dad*played linebacker at FSU (1983-87) and Brett’s older brother, Bruce Heggie Jr., played offensive line at Notre Dame before graduating and transferring to Ball State for his final season last year. Oh, and let’s not forget softball power-hitting sister Makenzie Heggie, who once hit home runs in nine consecutive games in high school. She just completed her sophomore year at Lake-Sumter State College. There is also Ben Heggie, the middle of the three oldest boys, and he is an honor student who also attends Lake-Sumter.
“Sure, things are going great and I’m a senior now and I’m at the top,” Brett Heggie said. “But I know next year, when I get to college, I’ll be back at the bottom again, so you’ve always gotta be humble and just play the best you can play.”
No matter what, the Mount Dora mainstay will be the guy this fall. He’s the most experienced returning senior and this is his football team to lead.
“I just want to be that guy who the underclassmen can come up to and talk to about anything, it doesn’t matter ... and I think the guys know that,” Heggie said. “When something needs to be said, I’m going to say it. I’m a senior now, so it’s important to talk and be vocal as well as play. I used to be one of those guys who didn’t really talk much. I just played.”
And, oh yeah, he’s a pretty good player, too. Just don’t expect him to tell you.
