Missouri State’s Dylan Cole leaves lasting impact on opponents and his program

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The end of one journey is coming Saturday for Missouri State linebacker Dylan Cole. He’ll take the field with eight other seniors at Plaster Stadium and take in the atmosphere one final time.

“I’m going to have a lot of memories and a lot of things that I cherish because this year I knew it was going to be my last year and I had to cherish those moments,” Cole says.

There’s a lot to choose from. Cole is the nation’s leading tackler and the face of Missouri State’s defense. But Logan-Rogersville Wildcat fans might remember him more as the mohawk-sporting play-making tailback and safety that scored 43 touchdowns and led them to the Class 3 championship in 2011.

“It’s nice to have local fan support,” Cole says of playing college ball just 13.5 miles away from his high school. “Whether you’re winning or losing, they’re always there for you.”

Missouri State took a chance on Cole as a tweener coming out of high school, and nobody was sure where he would end up. The coaches gave him a chance to start after redshirting his freshman year, and the results couldn’t be more definitive. He’s just 12 tackles shy of sole possession of third place on MSU’s all time tackles list. Good thing he’s averaging 12.5 tackles per game this year.

“Back when I was in grade school still playing mighty mites I wasn’t sure who won or lost. I was having fun. If I got knocked down one play I’d get back up still having fun.”

Cole’s impact isn’t just measured in take downs. He’s the team’s defensive captain – a choice his head coach endorses after their first meeting in December 2014. Dave Steckel was a career defensive coach looking for his chance to run his own shop, and wasn’t sure about Missouri State. Despite reports that he’d already taken the job, he says he didn’t make up his mind until Cole showed him around the facility and sold him on the potential at Missouri State.

“I knew he was a quality person after that,” Steckel said. “If you can evaluate talent, you know he has that too.”

Linebacker is a bruising position, but Cole has never missed a game at MSU. Even though Saturday is the final stop on his college schedule, there’s likely more football in his future. Here’s Cole busting out 36 bench press reps at 225 pounds – two more than anyone did at the NFL combine last year:

His head coach is no stranger to producing quality draft prospects, and expects Cole to join those ranks.

“He’s probably a middle round draft pick that will make a football team because he’s smart, athletic, he’s got good instincts, he can run, and he’ll make an immediate impact on special teams,” Steckel says. “God blessing him staying healthy, I easily see him as a draftable player and making the league.”

As one journey ends for Cole another begins.

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