After three-year break from football, UNK’s Q Felton dominating in senior season
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KEARNEY, Neb. — On college football Saturdays, UNK’s Q Felton prefers to spend his time in the opponent’s backfield.
And he’s been doing a lot of that in his senior season.
“I get in their head," Felton said. "I tell them to ‘come on, bring it’ and see how many times they can win and how many times I can win.”
Felton is tied for the league lead in sacks and top in the conference in tackles for loss. The defensive end’s play as a Loper is a continuation of his success from Butler Community College in Kansas.
“I like to put fear in people," Felton said. "That’s what we — we provoke fear. We just want to see how scared people come out and how they respond to fear.”
But his progression hasn’t been a straight path. Felton played at Butler in 2018 and ’19. Despite getting interest from Division l schools, the Atlanta-native stepped away from football following the birth of his daughter, Tatum Jo.
“I just wanted to be something I never experienced or had," Felton said. "I wanted to be a father for that kid.”
After three years out of the game, schools came calling again offering a final chance to complete his eligibility. With his football fire reignited, Felton knew he needed to talk to his former Butler head coach Tim Schaffner, now the defensive coordinator at UNK.
“That’s the wizard," Felton said. "I mean, everybody knows that defense is chaos.”
“Someone else hit me up and said they thought Q was looking to play again. Well, I’m calling right away," Schaffner said. "All of a sudden, here he was again. Guys are different, but it was just like no time had passed at all.”
The results followed. Felton made honorable mention all-conference last season. He’s on pace for All-American consideration this season. He hopes that momentum can carry into a professional football career.
“Everybody’s journey’s got obstacles. Mine definitely had some," Felton said. "I never gave up. I never put my head down towards football, I kept my love for football.”
Felton’s goal for the rest of the season? Find a way to have his daughter see him play in person.