MAHOMET (WCIA) — There were plenty of unknowns for linebacker Brock VanDeveer as he transferred from Central to Mahomet-Seymour earlier this summer.

“At first I didn’t know what to expect,” VanDeveer said about his transition to a new school.

“I had no idea,” Mahomet-Seymour head coach Jon Adkins said about what he expected from VanDeveer. “We had obviously gotten wind of the name but that didn’t do it justice, man.”

But after a quick settling in period, the junior three-sport athlete has grown into one of the most important parts of the Bulldogs defense. Through six games, VanDeveer leads the team with 36 tackles and five sacks.

“Obviously coming in and not knowing where my spot would be, at first I didn’t even know if I would start,” said VanDeveer. “But then the first game I kind of knew what my role was going to be. Defense needs playmakers and that’s what I wanted to be.”

“At first we were like, ‘Well maybe pencil him in at linebacker,'” Mahomet-Seymour defensive coordinator Henry Turek said. “Thought maybe he could play the middle position, but we kind of had to know him, know his personality. He hasn’t let down at all.”

Not only is the former Maroon a standout on defense, he’s tied for the team lead with five rushing touchdowns. Playing fullback in the the team’s ‘diesel’ formation, VanDeveer scored a career high three touchdowns in last week’s win against Mt. Zion, including a 43-yard run.

“That is for like one or two yards,” Mahomet-Seymour senior cornerback Donovan Lewis said about the diesel formation’s use. “He saw the hole and he sprinted through it and no one caught up to him.”

“He wants to be successful and he wants our team to win,” Adkins said about VanDeveer. “At the end of the day, he’s going to do whatever it takes.”

“After that first loss, our whole team was hungry,” VanDeveer added. “Five wins under our belt now, I’d say we’re rolling and we’re ready.”

And the Bulldogs will look to VanDeveer on both sides of the ball once again, as they host Apollo Conference foe Effingham in the Friday Football Fever Spotlight Game of the Week.