In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with Ezra Vedral — linebacker for the Kansas Jayhawks and a civil engineering student — to talk about what it really takes to pursue two demanding paths at the same time.

From the beginning, Ezra made a decision: he wasn’t going to choose between football and engineering.

He wanted both.

And more importantly — he believed he could do both at a high level.

We talk about what that actually looks like on a daily basis. Early mornings, long days, constant demands — and the reality that balancing both requires more than just time management.

It requires a mindset.

Ezra shares how that mindset shows up in both environments.

On the field, as a linebacker, he’s responsible for reading the offense, communicating, and making decisions in real time.

In engineering, he’s working through complex problems, learning to push through when things don’t make sense, and finding solutions when there isn’t an obvious answer.

And while those worlds may seem completely different, Ezra sees the connection clearly.

The same approach applies to both:

Stay disciplined. Keep working. Don’t quit when it gets hard.

We also talk about the sacrifices that come with it — the time, the missed social opportunities — and why he doesn’t really see them as sacrifices.

Because for him, the payoff is worth it.

There’s also a leadership component to his story. Whether it’s on the field or in group engineering projects, Ezra has learned how to communicate, hold people accountable, and help move a team forward.

What stands out about Ezra isn’t just his ability to manage both.

It’s that he’s chosen not to compromise either.

As we talk about often on The Fort Builders, we’re all building something — through the choices we make and the standards we hold.

Ezra’s story is a reminder that sometimes the biggest decision isn’t what you choose.

It’s deciding that you’re not going to choose at all.