For the Pack, heading into the 2020 football season was certainly going to look a little different. With COVID-19 restrictions and new protocols to follow, it was evident the Pack needed strong leadership to sustain focus among its members.
Coming back together as a team for the first time since the spring shutdown required a renewed focus on communication and team connections. Redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore and redshirt junior center Grant Gibson immediately stepped in and demonstrated leadership to strengthen the foundational team dynamics already in place.
Amidst the pandemic, Gibson demonstrated his skills as a team leader, stepping in to make sure all teammates stayed focused, routine-oriented and, most importantly, closely connected with one another.
“I think, as a team, as a whole, even when we got sent home, we stayed close,” Gibson said after the first day of fall camp. “We made this group chat to try and make sure everybody was still trying to stay in contact. We did that, and I think it helped our team overall.”
For both Moore and Gibson, leading others seemed to come naturally. They kept a guiding vision that placed the team goal at the forefront. Moore and Gibson wanted to foster a stronger team bond, while doing what any great leader does: learning from others who have led before them and guiding and lifting up newcomers along the way.
“For me, in years past, just looking up to the older guys and the stuff they’ve done for me, they’ve helped lead me and teach me things,” Gibson said. “I wanted to be able to do the same thing for the younger guys. That was one of my goals this past year was to try and lead better and bring other guys along.”
Moore also understood the need for communication and team bonding, especially during this upcoming season, and worked hard to bring the team together.
“I think the circumstances that we got thrown into, with COVID and everything getting shut down and the team going home and being separated, we felt like there was definitely leadership needed to keep everybody together,” Moore said.
Their ability to demonstrate strong, effective leadership principles has not gone unnoticed. Given the changing circumstances, both Moore and Gibson said they knew it was the right time to incorporate mindful leadership practices.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about over and over again with our coaches, especially [director of strength and conditioning Dantonio Burnette],” Moore said. “He’s always told us that we have the capability to lead, and we feel like this is our opportunity for us to step in and do that.”
Both Moore and Gibson understood that each and every teammate must hold themselves accountable to one another and to the team as a whole. Every season has its challenges, but the 2020 season is going to involve a greater self-sacrifice from each individual teammate.
“The word this season is pretty much ‘sacrifice’,” Moore said. “It’s something that we’re going to have to uphold and hold each other accountable for as we move throughout the season.”
As 2020 football captains, Moore and Gibson said they are compelled to continue to set a strong example for the team.
“I think that we all understand that, if we want to play this year, there are certain things that we can’t do,” Gibson said. “Everybody on our team wants to play, and we are willing to give up some things to be able to do that.”
Despite the circumstances and unusual format this season, Moore and Gibson continue to lead with integrity and serve as a guiding light to help the team reach its goals for the season.
“Whatever format they throw at us, whether it’s playing Clemson, playing 10 games, playing five games, playing one game, we know what we have to do to get there,” Moore said. “That’s what we are going to do.”
This has been evident in the Pack’s first three games this season, most recently coming off a win over a ranked Pittsburgh team this past Saturday, 30-29, and improving to 2-1 overall.
