Sebastian Paid Tribute to His Late Brother With Overtime Interception

Brandon Sebastian dropped to the turf, protecting his game-sealing interception from Missouri wide receiver Keke Chism. Nickelback Josh DeBerry threw up his arms in jubilation and Donkey Kong pounded Sebastian’s shoulder pads. Safety Jason Maitre and linebacker Kam Arnold swarmed Sebastian as he struggled to get up and break free from his teammates.

Once the fourth-year starting corner finally did, he dropped the football and pointed to his forearm, where he wears his “Jordan Strong” wristband to honor his oldest brother Jordan, who died from colon cancer at the age of 24 in October 2017.

“I just pay tribute to him because I know he’s definitely watching over me, and I think that would be a cool experience for him if he was in the stands, too,” Sebastian said.

The West Haven, Connecticut, native said he had about 15 friends and family in attendance for BC's thrilling 41-34 overtime win over its first SEC visitor in 34 years.

But he had even more supporters beyond Alumni Stadium. He told reporters Tuesday that he received “endless” texts after the game.

“My phone damn near froze when I was trying to get on it,” Sebastian said.

Sebastian also finished tied for the team lead with seven total tackles, including six solos. He was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his performance.

He said he’s still debating what his favorite play of his career is: last weekend’s walk-off interception or last year’s 97-yard scoop and score at Clemson. Sebastian has had his fair share of highlight-reel moments in an Eagles uniform, like when he returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown against Cincinnati in the Birmingham Bowl or when he picked off Ryan Willis late in the third quarter of BC’s road game at Virginia Tech that locked up “College GameDay.”

Since Jeff Hafley took over as head coach, though, Sebastian believes he has grown as a defensive back in terms of football IQ and coverage technique. More specifically, he thinks he has a better understanding of where he is on the field now, and he feels like he’s upped his press man coverage skills.

Still, he’s grateful for defensive back coaches Eric Lewis and Anthony Campanile, who helped him develop as an underclassman.

“I take a piece from each coach that's been here, and I just put it all into one, and that pretty much shows on the field.”

It did on Saturday. And everyone was watching.