While Saturday's Week 2 preseason game against the Chicago Bears marked the first home game for all of the Colts' rookies, the trip to Lucas Oil Stadium had a little extra significance for cornerback Julius Brents.
Having attended Colts games as a kid, Brents had hoped that one day his time would come when he could make a name for himself on the same field.
"Finally seeing those dreams and those goals kind of come to light - everything that you worked for and seeing it pay off is dope," Brents said. "Now it's time to re-frame, re-chase those goals and continue to keep elevating. It's been great so far and I'm looking forward to continuing to keep growing."
Brents' began chasing those goals while playing safety at Warren Central, a high school 13 miles east of the Colts' home turf.
Then after a breakout college career at Kansas State, he was on his way back home to Indianapolis after the team took him in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Nearly four months later, Brents was running out of the same tunnel that he had watched his favorite childhood athletes come out of, making for an emotional realization.
"It really gave me goosebumps," Brents said. "It was a dope feeling. I was really just soaking it all in, especially during the national anthem. I was trying not to shed some tears."
To make the moment sweeter, Brents' dad, stepmom and two of his sisters were in attendance.
Though preseason games are more about development than stats, that did not stop Brents from wanting to make a strong impression.
Looking to build upon his performance in last week's preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills, Brents said he wanted to use today's game as another step toward his development.
"That's what it's all about, just continuing to have growth," Brents said. "Right now, I have to look at the film and see what it is that I could have did better - the small little keys here and there. But I'm just taking it one step at a time, one play at a time and keep growing."
On Saturday, he played 25 defensive snaps and wound up with two tackles.
In less than two weeks Brents and the rest of the team will be back at Lucas Oil Stadium hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in the regular season opener.
With such a quick turnaround before his rookie season will really be underway, Brents said he is doing all he can to make sure he is ready for his moment.
"I got my second preseason game under my belt now and the regular season is right around the corner," Brents said. "So, I want to continue to keep getting better. It's all about consistency as I try to find my role within the team and find out what I can do to help us win games."
