Dec. 13, 2024
Ferris State football standout Emari O'Brien graduating with second bachelor's degree while chasing third national title
Fans can spend a lot of time at Top Taggart Field on a Saturday gameday and see the work that Ferris State football senior slot receiver Emari O'Brien has invested into his athletic skill to find his role in the powerful offense of the nation's top-ranked team.
What is not so visible is O'Brien's work toward success in the classroom. The Harper Woods native who attended high school at Chandler Park in the Detroit area graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Communication from Ferris State's College of Arts, Sciences and Education.
O'Brien still had a lot of football left in him and unfinished business on the gridiron. That opened an opportunity for him to consider continuing his education.
Engaged faculty members Cami Sanderson and Sandy Alspach, professors of Communication, looked out for O’Brien and the full scope of what he could accomplish in the classroom came into a sharper focus.
"I was on the football team, and I had a conversation with Dr. Alspach, and I knew a lot of my teammates were Sports Communication majors. So, we talked about it, and we thought it would be a good direction for me to go to get that bachelor's degree," said O'Brien, who was originally an accounting major before shifting to Communication. "So, I got that in the spring. I've gained a lot of experience already."
O'Brien will graduate this month with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies to add to his academic degree collection, including an Associate in Arts in Communication Studies he earned in May 2022.
He has mixed emotions, knowing the end is near.
"This is my last season of football, but I don't know if I'm ready to go home," said O'Brien, who found a second home at Ferris State and Big Rapids. "Being here with these guys has been pretty fun, and it's something I'm not ready to say goodbye to right now, to be honest. It felt great to find a second home here. The coaching staff has been great. I adapted to change pretty quick and felt at home in Big Rapids."
O'Brien has put in the work to have a successful senior campaign for the nationally top-ranked Ferris State football team that is 12-1 this season, which includes returning the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship trophy to Big Rapids for the first time since the Bulldogs won it in 2021.
It also includes a 41-7 win on Dec. 7 against defending NCAA Division II National Champion Harding University at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. That victory secured the Bulldogs the Super Region 3 championship and advanced them to the national semifinals, where they will host Slippery Rock University on Saturday, Dec. 14, with kickoff slated for 3:32 p.m.
A versatile 5-foot-9 senior slot receiver, O'Brien has been a member of the Bulldogs' NCAA Division II National Championship teams in 2021 and 2022. He has had a banner campaign with a career-best 37 receptions for 959 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, en route to earning second-team All-GLIAC honors as a receiver.
When asked what he loves about being a member of the Bulldog football team as he closes in on the end of his playing career, O'Brien smiled.
"We're all brothers," said O'Brien, who plans to work toward a career as a sports radio and television announcer in life after football. "No matter what position you play, we all hang together and we're in it together. That's another one of the great things about being a Bulldog."