For Brandon Barlow, waiting is the toughest part. But being on standby doesn’t mean he’s slowing down.

“A lot of upper body, a low of lower body, alternating. A lot of speed training and agility,” said Barlow, describing his workouts. “Field work at least twice to three times a week.”

At Build Two Win Performance in Troy, the Shaker graduate puts in the work six days a week.

“You just got to stay positive, and you just got to keep your head down and keep working when no one is watching,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing.”

After staring for the Blue Bison, the 6’4” defensive end became a key player for Boston College over the last several years, which includes racking up 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks this past season.

“Those places here and BC have helped make me into the person I am today, and have helped just push me working hard to this goal of mine,” Barlow said.

He got a taste of it while attending the Kansas City Chiefs rookie mini-camp as an undrafted free agent during the spring.

“I went out there, I balled. I did my thing,” he said. “I felt like I picked up the defense very well. It had a lot of similarities to what we ran at BC in terms of the style of defense.”

He said, unfortunately, the Chiefs didn’t have the roster spot, so he didn’t get a contract. But Barlow said he’s on the short list for Kansas City and a few other teams.

“Now it’s just waiting and seeing and staying ready,” Barlow said. “I’ve been in contact with my agent. He keeps me up to date on what’s going on.”

With training camps starting this month, an NFL opportunity could be imminent. Just knowing his goal is potentially just around the corner is inspiring Barlow to work that much harder every day.

“I got to be very self-motivated, and I know that opportunity is going to come,” he said. “Whether it’s NFL or CFL, I’ll be ready to do the most with it.”