MACtion is a brand of college football typically associated with Tuesdays.
So for Braden Fiske, who had only one FCS offer coming out of high school, the ambition to play on Sundays may have felt as distant at Kalamazoo does for many of us.
But at Western Michigan, the high school offensive lineman had a chance to return to his roots on the defensive side of the ball and leverage his work ethic to earn a starting role and eventually all-conference recognition.
"After that third year (of college football), it's like you know what, I'm putting all my chips in," Fiske said on this week's Rams Revealed. "I really want to make a career out of this. I want to do something with this.
"Sure enough, that 2022 season, it's looking good," he recalled of his fifth year with the Broncos. The possibility of the NFL was becoming increasingly real. "You've got a chance to go in the late rounds, you could be an undrafted guy. Which in my head, man that's huge. Let's do it. Let's make it happen. Boom. Last few weeks of the season, right shoulder. Got to get it worked on. It's like, aw man. Everything I put into the season. This is supposed to be the year, right?"
If not for that injury, the current Rams defensive end would have bet on himself and taken his chances as a day three pick in 2023 or as college free agent, if necessary.
With the 39th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams have selected Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske. Take a look through the best photos from his time at FSU.
Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske
Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske
Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske
Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske reacts after a sack against Louisville during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske
"There's no doubt," the 24-year-old said. "Yeah."
Instead, after surgery, Fiske set his sights on a super senior comeback campaign at Western Michigan. That is until the picture changed when head coach Tim Lester was let go. Suddenly the transfer portal and the emerging frontier of NIL was worth considering, and Fiske was inundated with offers.
"I guess that leads me into the fairy tale that Florida State ended up being."
For more on why he chose the Seminoles, and the chance to partner with Jared Verse, plus how that detour catapulted his draft stock to the top of the second round in 2024, join us for this week's episode.
Sunday in Week 4, the Michigan City, Indiana native will lead the Rams into Soldier Field – just an hour's drive from his family's front door – to face the Chicago Bears.
Rams Revealed presented by Sleep Number is available here, on YouTube, or in audio format wherever you get your podcasts.
