MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Football and family are the only two things that one Memphis Tiger is focused on.
“I have to get through this because I have a son now,” said Caden Preiskorn.
That’s what Memphis tight end Caden Prieskorn repeats to himself when he faces adversity. According to him, he’s seen his fair share.
In addition to his father currently battling colon cancer, as a walk-on for the Tigers, Preiskorn was forced to make the transition to tight end after playing quarterback his entire life.
“Learning how to block somebody, learning how to do all these different things my head was spinning at first,” said Prieskorn.
Motivated by the sight of his 1-year-old son, Prieskorn used the off-season to transform his game.
“That’s probably what I thought about every day before I hit the weight room before I ran these sprints before I did anything. This extra work that’s what I think about, I have to provide for somebody other than myself,” said Prieskorn.
The redshirt junior hoped his name would soon be called.
“I knew I had to just keep going through adversity; keep building, keep building, keep building, one day my time will come,” said Prieskorn.
This season, that time came.
Prieskorn went from 220 to 260 pounds, coupled with his 6’6 frame and 6 touchdowns on the season, Caden has emerged as one of the top tight ends in the country.
Plus, a go-to target for the Tiger's offense.
“I got to thank the coaching staff for trusting me and Seth for believing in me to throw the ball, it’s definitely brought joy to me but I got to keep going, I can't get complacent. I got to keep going,” said Caden.
For his immediate family and the one he’s building.