Every year, college football coaches across the country search high and low to find that one player that may change the face of their program forever. Recruiting has become a highly intense and brutal battlefield where the nation's top prospects are moved like chess pieces in hopes that those players will help win a national championship.
The Bulls haven't really faced recruiting wars, as the team has been a doormat since entering Division I-A in 1999. What they were looking for was the player who could breathe life into a tradition of losing and embarrassment.
The hopes and dreams may have come to fruition on Sep. 13, when junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt caught the winning touchdown on a Hail Mary heave from senior quarterback Drew Willy. The play marked the biggest and most nationally recognized win in the history of UB football.
"There was only five seconds left," Roosevelt said. "You knew we had to throw it to the end zone. [Drew] Willy told all of us wide receivers to run to the end zone as fast as we could and he was just going to throw it up. I saw an opening, then the ball coming down, so I knew I had to be the first in the air. I reached out and grabbed it and somehow came down with it."
The stadium erupted as players mobbed Roosevelt after the catch.
"It was pretty crazy," Roosevelt said. "I was in shock until [junior wide receiver] Brett Hamlin picked me up and grabbed me. He said "great job," then I saw everyone running towards me. It was pretty crazy."
When Roosevelt joined the Bulls in 2006, he was already a local icon. In his senior season of high school, he quarterbacked St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute to the No. 5 ranking in the state while throwing a Western New York-record 35 touchdown passes.
The transition to wide receiver did not come easy at first.
"I never had to block as a quarterback," Roosevelt said. "When I got here, playing wide receiver, just having to block was a big difference. Going out there and trying to hit people was a little strange at first."
After getting a feel for things, Roosevelt immediately had an impact on the team. In his freshman season, Roosevelt had 31 receptions for 429 yards. In his sophomore season, he led the Bulls in both receptions and receiving yards, catching the pigskin 63 times and earning 766 yards.
Roosevelt has always tried to model his game after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens.
"He is just a great wide receiver," Roosevelt said. "He's fast, strong and catches almost every ball. He's what every receiver wants to be."
What makes Roosevelt so unique is that he spends most of his free time sleeping.
"I love to sleep," he said. "Whenever you see me and I'm not playing football, I'm sleeping."
There were many factors that led to Roosevelt deciding on staying local by coming to the University at Buffalo. He feels that the overall atmosphere was his No. 1 reason.
"I love the environment here," Roosevelt said. "It's a lot of fun being on campus. There are great people around here who are truly nice and it makes the campus more enjoyable."
The bond that players make with their coach is always something special. Roosevelt feels that he has really connected with head coach Turner Gill.
"[Coach] Gill is a great coach and an even better person," Roosevelt said. "It's a lot of fun playing for him. He wants us to do well at everything we do, whether it is football, academics or life in general. I watched some of his games on ESPN Classic and knowing you're learning from someone who played at that level is really great. He really cares about his players and how we turn out."
Roosevelt has certainly taken his bumps as a member of the team. He realizes how far the Bulls have come in only two years.
"We now go out there knowing we can play with anybody," he said. "That's a big difference from when I was a freshman. In my first year, when we'd play big teams, we would go out there and just hope we played well and didn't get embarrassed. Now we go out on the field knowing we can win any game. We can play tough against any team and it's obviously a much better situation."
