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University of Minnesota Athletics
'The Glue Who Keeps Everything Together'
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2014
The only problem was that O'Brien had a message for the young man from Milwaukee.
"Dan said, 'No, Cameron, I am not going to give you your release. You are going to stay here and be a hell of a player,'" recalled Botticelli. "After he said that, I decided to see who they were going to hire."
O'Brien turned out to be right, as Botticelli will play in his 49th career game - and start for the 35th time on the defensive line - this weekend at Nebraska.
Minnesota hired Jerry Kill on Dec. 7, 2010, and things could not have worked out much better for Botticelli, who came to the U as a walk-on on a mission.
His goals were simple. He wanted to graduate college early, earn a scholarship and become a starter. Attaining those goals would be more difficult, and would take countless hours of work and dedication to his studies and to football.
Before his redshirt sophomore season, Kill called him into his office and awarded him with a scholarship. Botticelli had battled through two years as a walk-on and now was rewarded with the ultimate prize.
"I was just elated," he said. "I did not know what to do. It was something that I had spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering about, imagining hearing, 'We want to offer you a scholarship,' and for that to happen was incredible."
Botticelli applied himself in the classroom and graduated in less than four years with a degree in political science, saying the time flew by "because I enjoyed it so much." He is working on his master's degree in youth development leadership and has aspirations to practice law one day when his football career is completed.
He saw playing time as a reserve as a redshirt freshman, but has been a fixture in the starting lineup since his sophomore year. He has 73 career tackles, 14.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks, while serving as the "glue who keeps everything together," according to position coach Jeff Phelps.
"This was the plan," said Botticelli. "This is what I have been focusing on. I would be really disappointed if I was not where I am today. Being a walk-on played a huge part in who I am today. It was rough in spots, paying tuition, finding a way to get enough food and making sure you find a way to make ends meet while playing football. But all of that molded me. That was the crucible. That was the tough part. That is where young men who start as walk-ons are tempered."
Botticelli has just a few games left in his collegiate career and he is going to cherish each one because he knows all of the hard work that has put into preparing himself mentally and physically for each contest. Even after all the success he has had on the field and in the classroom, he still plays with a chip on his shoulder. He still plays like he is trying to prove something to someone.
"I don't know how many stars I had on my recruiting profile, but I bet I can make your ears ring if we line up from each other," he said.
"From the first day I met him until today he has been consistent," said Phelps. "Some people talk about what they are going to do, but when it is nit and grit time you don't always see it. He isn't flashy and does not want to be in the spotlight. Instead, he lets his work on the field do the talking opposed to him running around and hooting and hollering. He will truly be missed once he graduates, as he really is the unsung hero of the defensive line."
When his time at Minnesota is done, Botticelli is going to take a shot at the NFL and he will do so with the same drive and gusto that earned him a scholarship and starting spot for the Gophers.
"Whatever opportunity is presented to me I will attack it just like I have every other goal I have set in the past few years," said Botticelli. "I am going to invest everything I have into it, as that has done very well for me the past. I am excited to see what kind of impact my hard work and toughness will have."
"He loves football and will have a chance at the next level, but if that call doesn't happen it will not be devastating to him," said Phelps. "He has put everything he has into it and whenever his time to hang up the cleats comes, he will be comfortable in doing that. He will know that he put everything on the table, had a successful career and will move on. Then he will be able to help other people out."
After all, there are much worse backup plans then walking into a law office every day.
Cameron Botticelli walked into then Director of Football Operations Dan O'Brien's office and asked for his release papers.
It was early December 2010 and the staff that had wooed Botticelli out of Wisconsin to Minnesota had recently been let go. The season was over and Botticelli, who redshirted that year, was ready to pack up his bags and head to the Mid-American Conference or to an FCS school to continue his education and playing career.
The only problem was that O'Brien had a message for the young man from Milwaukee.
"Dan said, 'No, Cameron, I am not going to give you your release. You are going to stay here and be a hell of a player,'" recalled Botticelli. "After he said that, I decided to see who they were going to hire."
O'Brien turned out to be right, as Botticelli will play in his 49th career game - and start for the 35th time on the defensive line - this weekend at Nebraska.
Minnesota hired Jerry Kill on Dec. 7, 2010, and things could not have worked out much better for Botticelli, who came to the U as a walk-on on a mission.
His goals were simple. He wanted to graduate college early, earn a scholarship and become a starter. Attaining those goals would be more difficult, and would take countless hours of work and dedication to his studies and to football.
Before his redshirt sophomore season, Kill called him into his office and awarded him with a scholarship. Botticelli had battled through two years as a walk-on and now was rewarded with the ultimate prize.
"I was just elated," he said. "I did not know what to do. It was something that I had spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering about, imagining hearing, 'We want to offer you a scholarship,' and for that to happen was incredible."
Botticelli applied himself in the classroom and graduated in less than four years with a degree in political science, saying the time flew by "because I enjoyed it so much." He is working on his master's degree in youth development leadership and has aspirations to practice law one day when his football career is completed.
He saw playing time as a reserve as a redshirt freshman, but has been a fixture in the starting lineup since his sophomore year. He has 73 career tackles, 14.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks, while serving as the "glue who keeps everything together," according to position coach Jeff Phelps.
"This was the plan," said Botticelli. "This is what I have been focusing on. I would be really disappointed if I was not where I am today. Being a walk-on played a huge part in who I am today. It was rough in spots, paying tuition, finding a way to get enough food and making sure you find a way to make ends meet while playing football. But all of that molded me. That was the crucible. That was the tough part. That is where young men who start as walk-ons are tempered."
Botticelli has just a few games left in his collegiate career and he is going to cherish each one because he knows all of the hard work that has put into preparing himself mentally and physically for each contest. Even after all the success he has had on the field and in the classroom, he still plays with a chip on his shoulder. He still plays like he is trying to prove something to someone.
"I don't know how many stars I had on my recruiting profile, but I bet I can make your ears ring if we line up from each other," he said.
Phelps knows exactly what he has in Botticelli and also knows how much he is going to miss the reliable 6-5, 290-pound tackle next year.
"From the first day I met him until today he has been consistent," said Phelps. "Some people talk about what they are going to do, but when it is nit and grit time you don't always see it. He isn't flashy and does not want to be in the spotlight. Instead, he lets his work on the field do the talking opposed to him running around and hooting and hollering. He will truly be missed once he graduates, as he really is the unsung hero of the defensive line."
When his time at Minnesota is done, Botticelli is going to take a shot at the NFL and he will do so with the same drive and gusto that earned him a scholarship and starting spot for the Gophers.
"Whatever opportunity is presented to me I will attack it just like I have every other goal I have set in the past few years," said Botticelli. "I am going to invest everything I have into it, as that has done very well for me the past. I am excited to see what kind of impact my hard work and toughness will have."
"He loves football and will have a chance at the next level, but if that call doesn't happen it will not be devastating to him," said Phelps. "He has put everything he has into it and whenever his time to hang up the cleats comes, he will be comfortable in doing that. He will know that he put everything on the table, had a successful career and will move on. Then he will be able to help other people out."
After all, there are much worse backup plans then walking into a law office every day.
Players Mentioned
Defensive Line
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