ISU's Bledsoe on course for a big season

There are not many people who would have the courage to call Nick Bledsoe a mama's boy or make fun of his hair.

It would be a scary proposition to challenge the 6-foot-1, 295-pound junior offensive lineman from Illinois State University.

Bledsoe has never been afraid to talk about the impact of his mom, Rosa, and her influence is a big reason the former Wheeling High School star is coming home to Evanston for Saturday's 11 a.m. college football game against Northwestern at Ryan Field.

Afterall, Bledsoe was ready to stay home when he came back for Easter in 2008 and his mom dropped the bombshell that she had breast cancer.

"She told me and it was real hard on me," said Bledsoe, who was in fourth grade when his dad died. "I was ready to pack it all in. I said, 'I'll go to work and help you out now.'"

Rosa Bledsoe told her son to go to work all right - back at Illinois State.

"She told me she needed me to stay here and get my degree," said Bledsoe, who was the Daily Herald's 2007 Cook County Male Athlete of the Year at Wheeling.

It was definitely the right move for Bledsoe, who originally came to Illinois State to compete in track and field. He missed football, however, and made the switch after a year.

Last year he started all 11 games and earned second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. This year he was named to the preseason all-MVFC team and the left guard helped pave the way for 509 total yards in ISU's wild 55-54 season-opening win over Central Missouri State.

"I've always been a football player and considered myself a football player," Bledsoe said. "I kept glancing over at the football field and thought I should be out there."

So, he gave up his track scholarship to join the football team as a walk-on. In 2008 he only played about 25 snaps but worked with then head coach Denver Johnson, who was also in charge of the offensive line.

"Being around him and learning from him that whole year helped a lot," Bledsoe said. "Then last year we went to the spread and I felt I picked it up pretty well."

Well enough that Bledsoe is now on full scholarship as he works toward a shot at playing professionally and eventually becoming a teacher and football coach.

And he found the way to support his mom by letting his hair grow for Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children with medical conditions. Bledsoe laughed about his hair being past his shoulders but still needing to grow it longer to get to 10 inches.

And Bledsoe can laugh because Rosa's cancer is in remission and her chemotherapy was done at the beginning of the year. She'll be there Saturday and so will Bledsoe's grandfather, who will see him play collegiately for the first time.

"I'm thrilled about coming home," Bledsoe said.

Which is a much different feeling than Bledsoe had a few years ago.