Perkins grad Amison named All-American

It took a transfer and a position change, but Keysean Amison ended up exactly where he wanted to be. The 2017 Perkins High School graduate was named a first-team All-American on Tuesday for his play as a defensive back at Trine University, an NCAA Division III school in Angola, Indiana. "It was this morning I received a text from my coach," Amison said Tuesday. "I've been wanting to be an All-American so long. I've been working for it and just doing anything possible to get it. It feels like some sort of relief." Amison spent a year at Ashland University after his graduation from Perkins, but after redshirting he transferred to Trine. The key connection at Trine was fellow Perkins graduate Seth Boggs, an offseason training partner of Amison's who already played for the Thunder. "He liked it, and he knew that I would enjoy playing with him again," Amison said. "... It's really a gamble transferring any point in time, but I felt like it was worth it." Amison, listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, was a linebacker in his initial college days, a role he also held for the Pirates in high school along with time at running back. But a move to free safety to take advantage of his speed and instincts was soon in the cards. "It was definitely different," Amison said. "I wish I would've played it earlier in my career. It lets me see the whole field. You're pretty much the leader of the defense being at safety and making adjustments." Amison's tackles per game average increased every season, of which he played five at Trine thanks to an added year after the disjointed COVID-19 season in 2020-21. He went from 1.3 tackles per game as a redshirt freshman to 4.9, 5.4, 7.7 and 9.8 this fall. In his final season of college football, Amison had 98 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, along with two forced fumbles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. "I feel like my game elevated a little bit (this fall)," Amison said. "My reaction to plays and seeing things faster, seeing things develop faster and just reacting to it with no slowing down or hesitation." Amison's personal favorite moment came in Week 2 with the Thunder down 23-3 at the half on the road at Rose-Hulman (Ind.). The defense pitched a second-half shutout, and Amison made a tackle for loss on fourth-and-1 to secure a 24-23 win. He totaled double-digit tackles in four games, including 19 in a Week 9 loss to Hope College. That tied for the third-best single-game tackle total in the program's D-III era. "I knew I had a good amount, but I didn't know how much exactly I had," Amison said. "Just doing my job, really." Amison, who studied information technology at Trine and will get his master's in information systems in the spring, doesn't want to be done with football just yet. He plans to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. On Jan. 14, Amison will move to Georgia to work with a trainer who his uncle helped set him up with. "I've learned more about the game. I've grown as a player and as a man," Amison said. "That's what you want to do when you go off and learn more about yourself. You learn what you need to get better and just things to that sort. Everyone wants to win a natty, but sometimes it doesn't work out in that way. I feel like I've definitely grown mentally and physically throughout my career." Amison hasn't forgotten about his days as a Perkins Pirate. He wrestled in addition to his time on the gridiron, and he still keeps up with wrestling coach Travis Crabtree and principal and linebackers coach Jeff Harbal. His collegiate path may not have been exactly what he dreamed of growing up, but in the end, Amison became an All-American anyway. "Any kid thinking about not going to college or unsure of it, I would say go," Amison said. "You learn so much about yourself and you learn things that are gonna take you far in life. Anytime that you feel a doubt about yourself, just go with it and believe in yourself and get greater from there."