Anthony Bryant is a third-year defensive tackle competing with Dwan Edwards and Atiyyah Ellison for a spot. Bryant, who spent last season with the Detroit Lions and the 2005 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has earned the nickname "Calves" from his teammates for his enormous calves, which measure 20 inches in circumference.

But Bryant’s first nickname was "Bear," which was given to him by a childhood friend Stanley Davis because of Bryant’s girth as a teenager in Newbern, Ala. Tragically, Davis drowned in a lake during a family picnic during Bryant’s senior year in high school. "He was my main motivator," Bryant said of Davis. "It hurt for a long time, almost every day. He was my mentor and a great role model."

Bryant, who built his calves by completing 1,000 calf raises with 100-pound weights daily, said his first sport was basketball. "I played football because I didn’t have a ride home from school after basketball practice," said Bryant, a 6-foot-3 power forward who was recruited by West Virginia and Pittsburgh for basketball. "They wanted me to be another Charles Barkley."

Bryant, who went to Alabama for football, said he didn’t understand the fuss about the heat wave that was baking Westminster for the past week. "The heat here is not even close," he said. "It’s like December around here."