'Surreal' moment as walk-on linebacker Jake Levant awarded scholarship
AUBURN – “It took me a second to realize what was happening, because he was calling me out for putting my hands up and then all of the sudden, people are jumping on me and I’m like ‘what just happened?’ It was surreal.”
Sophomore walk-on Jake Levant, along with the rest of the Auburn team, shared an exciting moment when Bryan Harsin awarded him a full scholarship during Saturday practice in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“It just shows the family that we have built,” Levant said about the moment with his team. “All of the things that we’ve been through together just kind of draws us closer. I love every single one of those guys and every single one of those guys loves me. I’m really proud to be a part of a family like this.”
Levant claimed that he never even saw the graphic celebrating his accomplishment on the videoboard because he was dog-piled by his teammates. Someone later showed it to him.
Along with his team, Levant’s father was in the stands watching practice, and his mother immediately hopped in the car to drive to Auburn.
“It’s going to be a really nice moment,” Levant said. “I can’t wait to see my mom when she gets here. I told my dad and that was an emotional moment. They know that I put my life into this sport and it’s a huge deal for me. They’re really grateful.”
The 6-foot-1 linebacker from Vestavia Hills, Ala. played in eight games during the 2021 season, recording one tackle against Mississippi State. Off the field, Levant has been awarded multiple academic honors, including the SEC first-year Academic Honor Roll in 2020 and the SEC Academic Honor Roll and AD Honor Roll in 2021.
“Since I’ve known him he has done an excellent job off the field taking care of his business academically,” Harsin said about Levant. “He’s a hard worker. He’s now on some special teams, so he’s getting a chance to play and start on a couple of those.”
In high school, Levant had offers from smaller Universities, including UAB and Tulane. Instead, he decided that he wanted to play at the school that he grew up a fan of.
“I had a few small scholarship offers,” Levant said. “I have four older siblings that came to Auburn, so my whole family has been here. It’s just a family environment and it just drew me to it. I wanted to play in the SEC and I thought I had the ability to do it. I felt like the Lord was calling me here.”
