If someone were to tell me when I was 18 years old what was about to unfold, there is no way that I would believe it, especially with everything outside of football. I have rapidly matured over the last few years, with a lot of it being visible to all of you. You’ve seen my transformation, and not just from a 170 lb. freshman to a 195 lb. senior. I came into college as a quiet, wide-eyed kid, and I’m leaving a proud, confident (still think of myself as a kid) young man. Many of you saw my interests go from only candy and video games (FIFA) to candy, video games, real soccer, literature, photography, and – to many of your dismay, cats. The more I interacted with you all outside of football, the more comfortable I felt with who I was becoming. I started to be more and more open, and I feel like you all encouraged me to do so. 

To my teammates – man, where do I even start. From the seemingly endless meetings, to the seemingly endless workouts, somehow we still managed to make the most out of it. We attacked each day, which was something that I didn’t have the strength to do alone. That Dawg Mentality isn’t just something for workouts or games. It’s bringing every single player along and making sure no one is left behind, no matter what the task is. I think it’s safe to say that by now, everyone in the locker room knows I’m not exactly the most normal person ever, but I never felt judged for anything. The more that I opened up, the more I felt welcomed with an “it’s just Dante” slight head shake. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it 100 more times – I wouldn’t trade our relationships for any touchdown, win, or record. The memories made in my past four years with you guys mean the world to me, much more than any football accolade ever could. You’ve all helped me grow immensely and I can’t thank you enough for it. Whether it was learning when to walk away or when to stand your ground. Whether it was learning a new football move or a new dance move. Whether it was finding the strength to keep pushing during hard times, or even just realizing that stepping out of your comfort zone is pretty much always good. Whatever it was, I have you guys to thank for it. Some of my favorite times were in camp, trying to get to know everyone a little bit better, or just watching some of the exchanges in the locker room, when we all started to go a little crazy for being around each other way too much. If any of you ever need anything, you know how to get ahold of me. I’ll always be watching, and I’m looking forward to seeing you guys and seeing how well you’ve developed a few years down the line. 

I think that one of the coolest things about playing football at UW, is that I didn’t just play on the team. I didn’t just play for the team. I played for everyone involved with Washington. I played for all the people in fraternities and sororities. I played for all the people in the business program. For all the people getting their masters in the medical fields. For all the professors that are new this year. For the janitors that have been there for 20 years. For everyone that wore the Purple and Gold before me. For everyone that just lives in Seattle. I played for that little kid that constantly dreams of being in my position, because I was once him. I will never forget the first time I was stopped by someone who just wanted to talk about Husky Football. The love that you have for this program is incredible. I may not be walking around Seattle as much as I used to, but when you do see me there, please feel free to say hi, because my interactions with you all make my day. 

When I first committed to UW, I knew that I was joining a family, but I didn’t know that I was joining your family. I have no idea where I will end up in the next few days, but I know one thing – no matter where I go, you’ll be with me every step of the way.