Wild Wild West

Many describe the start of the West as the Rocky Mountains. The towing Front Range suddenly appears after hundreds of miles of farmland, where the air is thinner and your hands crack as soon as you get off the plane. However, the end of the West looks a little different. It's Hollywood, and it's always sunny and 75 with a perfect breeze. Just steps from your door, you can walk out to miles of beach, sink your feet into the golden sand and sprint toward the perfectly crashing waves.

For USC defensive tackle Gavin Meyer, who has played at a school in the Rocky Mountains and now one in Los Angeles, getting down to the water has been a revelation in his new lifestyle.

"Easily one of my favorite parts of LA so far is going to Manhattan Beach and to the water down there," said Meyer. "This summer, just being able to drive 10 minutes down to the beach – it was pretty crazy."

But the Wisconsin native has not lost any love for his former school, Wyoming, where he received his undergraduate degree and the place that gave him the opportunity to play the sport that he loves in college.

"There wasn't anything negative about the program that forced me to leave, which is good, because you don't leave with a bad taste in your mouth," said Meyer. "But after I completed my degree, I had a thought about hitting the transfer portal and possibly coming to a program like this and trying to play ball in the Big Ten to really show that I can play at a higher level."

Meyer's journey began by being inspired by the other athletes in his family. Growing up like many young kids, Meyer looked up to his older brother who played competitive travel baseball all throughout his childhood.

"He's six years older than I am, and he grew up playing baseball and football mainly, but pretty high-level baseball," said Meyer. "He was always on all the travel teams. So, growing up, I would go to his baseball tournaments, and I just really fell in love with competition and had sports at the center of whatever I was doing whenever I had free time."

Unlike some kids, however, it wasn't until high school that Meyer really fell in love with the game of football.

"I was fortunate enough to play baseball and basketball until high school, but then I really started focusing on weightlifting and football as soon as I got into high school, " he said, "I stopped playing some of the other sports, which ended up working out for me because I wanted to get stronger and bigger."

Meyer was playing at one of the better programs in the state at Franklin High School. Playing there gave him the chance to be recruited by colleges from all over the county.

"Franklin is a storied football program that has been good over the last 20-ish years," said Meyer. "Even though it was a public school, it was still on the radar of a bunch of college coaches that would come in and stop by the classroom, get eyes on you and talk to you there. You'd be in Spanish or math class and see a knock at the door, and it's your coach waving you into the hallway to talk to a college coach."

For Meyer, that coach in the hall happened to be from Wyoming who coached a position group that he wasn't even being recruited for. But after connecting with him, Meyer took a trip out to the mountains and the rest was history.

"What ended up bringing me to Wyoming was an offensive line coach who now coaches at Illinois," he said. "I went pre-COVID in 2019, toured Wyoming, and just fell in love with the wild west."

Meyer flourished while playing for the Cowboys recording 66 tackles, including 8.5 for loss (with 4 sacks) in his last two seasons. Now, Meyer is at his final home at USC and playing for the most historic program in the country. Playing for a team with the heritage and tradition of USC doesn't come lightly, however.

"You always have a second pair of eyes on you, and you have people trying to always scrutinize you. It holds you to a standard," he said. "Some people might say, 'I think that's a little negative,' but for me, it's motivation. At a place like Wyoming, there's a bunch of media. It's really the only football team in the state, so there are a bunch of eyes over there too. But just not in the same way, not like here. "

At USC, Meyer is being coached by Eric Henderson, a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Rams who tutored Aaron Donald, one of the NFL's greatest defensive players. Henderson has pushed Meyer to have an outstanding season, recording 18 tackles, including 2 for loss (with 1 sack), as well as 3 pass breakups, 2 quarterback hurries and 1 blocked kick. Meyer says that his playing style has fit perfectly into Henderson's philosophy.

"DAWGWORK is an attitude. You put your hand in the ground, and the next play, good or bad, you just put your hand on someone and you go out-physical him," said Meyer. "You take it one day at a time and never give up. Coach (Henderson) does a really good job, day in and day out, just not being satisfied. You can't let your successes go too high, and you can't let your lows go too low."

Away from the gridiron, however, Meyer has found a way to take his mind off the game, whether he's playing in Wyoming or Hollywood.

"I just love being outside in the mountains, hiking, or even going out to the beach," he said. "Getting outside and away from the chaos sometimes is the best thing for me."

At a position that involves complete chaos like a defensive tackle, being able to remove yourself and take a deep breath is of vital importance. But as good as he is at taking time for himself, Meyer, a seasoned vet, will always be there, with the game on the line, fighting alongside his Trojan brothers.

Players Mentioned

Gavin Meyer

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University Southern California Trojans

Players Mentioned

Gavin Meyer

Wild Wild West

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