Brian Thomas came sprinting off the field last Saturday and immediately locked eyes with Caron Tyler.
The latter had just connected with Thomas on an early 21-yard touchdown strike in Valparaiso’s win over Roosevelt and now the former wanted to celebrate.
Thomas, a running back from Florida, and Tyler, a quarterback from California, shared an embrace and then a handshake that was 13 months in the making.
This was the moment the pair had been talking about since they first met in preseason training camp in August of 2023.