Brian Dempsey/BGSU Athletics

Freshman Treyton McKee may be a Division 1 athlete, but his goals and dreams exceed football.

The first year of BGSU football under Mike and Jan Wilcox Head Football Coach Eddie George is officially in the books after the team went (4-8, 2-6 MAC). Yet, the pursuit of success both academically and on the field for players like freshman kicker Treyton McKee doesn’t stop. 

McKee may be a Division 1 athlete, but his goals and dreams exceed football. While being an athlete at Bowling Green State University, McKee is pursuing a career in pre-med.

“Well, it’s for sure a grind, trying to balance games, practices, homework assignments, and school,” said McKee. “It takes a lot of effort. But over time, I’ve learned how to efficiently get tasks done, and time management and staying organized have helped me a lot, too, in those areas.”

The transition from the field to the classroom leaves no room for error. McKee’s mornings are entirely devoted to football, leaving him with little time to rest and immediately transition his focus to his pre-med studies. “I have football until 12 p.m. every day, and then my earliest class is at 1 p.m., with my final class ending at 5:45 p.m.,” said McKee.

Despite the daily gauntlet, McKee highlighted that the culture that George has brought to the program has encouraged him to use that mentality in the classroom as well. “Coach George brings experience and intensity in that he pushes everyone to be plus one every day,” McKee explained.

However, that “plus one” mindset is the status quo for McKee. According to Jeremy McKinney, his former head coach at Bloom Carroll High School, McKee already possessed the intangibles necessary to achieve his dreams at the Division 1 level.

“If we had to kind of summarize Treyton succinctly, it would be his work ethic. I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a guy who was as dedicated to a singular thing as much as Treyton was, ” said McKinney. “And then, his academics, obviously, on his own, too. He had a 4.0 for four years. He knew what he wanted to do, and he went out and made it happen, and that’s a total testament to who he is as a person, and to his parents for giving him that opportunity, too.”

In addition to McKee’s stellar performances in the classroom, McKinney explained how dominant McKee was on the football field.

“He’s second all-time in the history of Ohio high school football for points scored. He had 287 points in high school, and 231 of those were PATs, and we didn’t even kick a lot of field goals, because we scored a lot of touchdowns,” said McKinney.

While the workload has intensified during college, McKee’s adjustment to Bowling Green has been eased by the culture that emphasizes unity within the football program. He admitted that the transition was challenging, but the environment inside the locker room has made the grind sustainable.

“Overall, I’ve enjoyed myself here,” said McKee. “It helps that our team is a big family and that everyone is extremely supportive of everybody.”

As McKee looks toward the rest of his career at Bowling Green, he has proven that with the right support system, the dual path of a Division 1 athlete and a future doctor is a challenge he is ready to meet.