University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football and Intern: Will Potosky Has Done it All
8/21/2019 11:08:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - It wasn't until Will Potosky's senior year of high school that he discovered Southern Miss, but the redshirt senior is forever grateful that his unlikely journey landed him in the black and gold.
Potosky didn't step onto a football field until he was 10, and even that was a battle. His Pop Warner league required him to not only play up due to his size, but also forced him to lose weight in order to play at that level. In fact, Potosky admitted he hated playing football after that year. The tight end picked the game back up during his middle school days only to walk away from it again during his freshman year at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School.
"I wanted to focus more on baseball my freshman year because my high school is a big powerhouse for baseball," Potosky said. "I thought that if I didn't do baseball, then I would lose my spot on the team.
"I tried to focus on that and by my sophomore year I realized I should just play football."Â
As a three-sport star for the Hurricanes, Potosky used that athleticism to excel on the football field. Used as a tight end and wide receiver, he produced over 1,300 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during his high school career. He was named an All-Region baseball player and an All-Conference basketball player as well. That athleticism landed him plenty of opportunities to take his game to the next level.Â
The 6-foot-5 tight end was originally committed to Stetson, but reopened his recruitment after a few weeks. That's when Southern Miss came into the picture. The daughter of then-athletic director Bill McGillis attended high school at Bishop McLaughlin, which put Potosky on the Southern Miss radar. That relationship then landed him a walk-on opportunity with the Golden Eagles.Â
"It's been history ever since," Potosky said.Â
With one season left as a collegiate football player and a year of Graduate School looming in front of him, the Hudson, Fla. native is starting to plan for the future. Potosky earned his Bachelor's Degree last May in Sport Management and is now working towards his Master's. Potosky spent the final semester of his undergraduate years as a Digital Media Intern in the athletic department, dipping his fingers into photography, photo editing, video editing, and the in-game behind-the-scenes action that goes on during a Southern Miss sporting event.Â
"I learned a lot," Potosky said. "It was interesting trying something new because I've never done anything like that before. I had never seen that side of athletics -- I always saw playing football and just being an athlete."
That internship has made planning for the future a bit easier. Potosky knows he wants to work in athletics -- college or professional -- but now his goal is trying to decide which aspect of athletics he wants to work in.
"I was seeing a lot of different things and now I look at everything," Potosky said. "I don't look at how it's just a game, I look at how everything is operated outside of it.
"It shows me a bigger spectrum of the sport."
For now, Potosky will focus on his redshirt senior campaign, which starts on Saturday, August 31 at 6 p.m against Alcorn State. Single-game and season tickets are on sale via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.Â
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Potosky didn't step onto a football field until he was 10, and even that was a battle. His Pop Warner league required him to not only play up due to his size, but also forced him to lose weight in order to play at that level. In fact, Potosky admitted he hated playing football after that year. The tight end picked the game back up during his middle school days only to walk away from it again during his freshman year at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School.
"I wanted to focus more on baseball my freshman year because my high school is a big powerhouse for baseball," Potosky said. "I thought that if I didn't do baseball, then I would lose my spot on the team.
"I tried to focus on that and by my sophomore year I realized I should just play football."Â
As a three-sport star for the Hurricanes, Potosky used that athleticism to excel on the football field. Used as a tight end and wide receiver, he produced over 1,300 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during his high school career. He was named an All-Region baseball player and an All-Conference basketball player as well. That athleticism landed him plenty of opportunities to take his game to the next level.Â
The 6-foot-5 tight end was originally committed to Stetson, but reopened his recruitment after a few weeks. That's when Southern Miss came into the picture. The daughter of then-athletic director Bill McGillis attended high school at Bishop McLaughlin, which put Potosky on the Southern Miss radar. That relationship then landed him a walk-on opportunity with the Golden Eagles.Â
"It's been history ever since," Potosky said.Â
With one season left as a collegiate football player and a year of Graduate School looming in front of him, the Hudson, Fla. native is starting to plan for the future. Potosky earned his Bachelor's Degree last May in Sport Management and is now working towards his Master's. Potosky spent the final semester of his undergraduate years as a Digital Media Intern in the athletic department, dipping his fingers into photography, photo editing, video editing, and the in-game behind-the-scenes action that goes on during a Southern Miss sporting event.Â
"I learned a lot," Potosky said. "It was interesting trying something new because I've never done anything like that before. I had never seen that side of athletics -- I always saw playing football and just being an athlete."
That internship has made planning for the future a bit easier. Potosky knows he wants to work in athletics -- college or professional -- but now his goal is trying to decide which aspect of athletics he wants to work in.
"I was seeing a lot of different things and now I look at everything," Potosky said. "I don't look at how it's just a game, I look at how everything is operated outside of it.
"It shows me a bigger spectrum of the sport."
For now, Potosky will focus on his redshirt senior campaign, which starts on Saturday, August 31 at 6 p.m against Alcorn State. Single-game and season tickets are on sale via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.Â
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