EWU defensive lineman Dylan Zylstra understands the commitment needed to playing college football – Thu, 21 Aug 2014 PST

Dylan Zylstra spends a good deal of time in the weight room, especially in the off-season that starts almost as soon as the regular seasonends. (Full-size photo)(All photos)

There are days when Dylan Zylstra asks himself, Wouldnt it be awesome to just go toclass?

Just class, nothing else. No endless sessions in the film room, no lifting heavy plates in the weight room and the dining room. No getting knocked on his butt atpractice.

And definitely no bear crawls in an overheated gym room at 11 p.m. inFebruary.

In other words, nofootball.

Noway.

As painful and miserable as it can get sometimes, the feeling of running through the tunnel on Saturday gets you through almost anything, said Zylstra, a senior defensive lineman at EasternWashington.

And when the cheeringends?

Pretty soon, Im going to be looking for a job, and I think Im going to have an edge because I know to work hard, Zylstrasaid.

And smart. Somehow, for going on five years, the 22-year-old Zylstra has balanced a 40-hour-a-week football season with a full class load, a girlfriend, a social life and a black lab named Asher who loves to go pheasanthunting.

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EWU defensive lineman Dylan Zylstra understands the commitment needed to playing college football - Thu, 21 Aug 2014 PST