AUBURN, Ala. – How did senior specialist Sage Ledbetter start his football career? It actually started with a soccer ball. The Auburn native played soccer growing up, and it was not until his freshman year of high school that he ventured into football.
"I decided to try kicking and was actually good at it," Ledbetter said. "When I came to camp at Auburn, I got placed as a preferred walk-on and ran with it."
No other school stood out to Ledbetter the way Auburn did during his recruitment process from Auburn High School, where he kicked the longest field goal in Alabama high school history, a 61-yarder. The Loveliest Village on the Plains has always been his home, but Auburn University means something truly special to him.
"I visited so many other schools and never had the same feeling as I had at Jordan-Hare," Ledbetter said. "With other universities, that feeling is not there. The Auburn Family is real."
Since arriving in 2016, Ledbetter has been part of some special moments at Auburn. But none more special than when the Tigers beat Georgia and Alabama in Jordan-Hare Stadium in November 2017. It was an experience like no other, and he is committed to reliving those moments this year in the same stadium.
Football, however, is not the only constant in Ledbetter's busy life.
On a typical day, he is balancing the demands and responsibilities of football, school and work. Ledbetter works at a landscaping company to better gain experience toward his agricultural business degree, which he is scheduled to receive in May 2020. He plans to pursue a career in real estate and insurance.
"I've learned that I have so much I can get done in a day as long as I'm proactive," the Academic Top Tiger and member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll said. "Football has created the best schedule for me to stay on top of everything."
Football has also connected Ledbetter to some of the most important people in his life. He has grown incredibly close with his teammates and coaches over the past four years, and he now equates them to family.
"There really is a special bond you can create when you're grinding in the summer and no one else is on campus," Ledbetter said. "Especially when you're all together working at five in the morning."
While all of the coaches have positively impacted Ledbetter in one way or another, he admires the attitude strength and conditioning coach Ryan Russell brings to workouts each day.
"Coach Russell is the most consistent man I've ever met in my life," Ledbetter said. "He comes to work every single day and does not have a bad day. In my four years, I have never seen him be negative."
Now a senior, Ledbetter wants to impact a younger player the same way he was impacted by his teammates and coaches when he first got to Auburn. He believes that these people have shaped him into the man he is today, and being able to replicate that growth in another player's life will help shape the team as a whole.
"I'd speak to the walk-ons and tell them it's a long haul and grind," Ledbetter said. "You're going to have to have grit. You might not have it yet, but that's OK. There's going to be adversity. Stick through it, grind, and I promise you will see fruit from that. My experience is the proof that it all works out for your good."