Brian Folkerts has made a career out of beating the odds.
A two-way starter at Hazelwood Central High, Folkerts wasn’t quite big enough to land a Division I opportunity coming out of high school and ended up with a scholarship to Division II Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
“It definitely left me with a chip on my shoulder,” Folkerts recalled.
He excelled with the Ichabods, earning all-league honors at left tackle following his junior and senior seasons and earning second-team All-America honors to finish out his college career. Despite his college success, Folkerts went undrafted by the NFL in 2012.