QU standout Brock Wiley puts in the work, the Hawks reap the benefits

Published 4:01 pm Monday, August 10, 2026

QUINCY – Hearing Brock Wiley’s philosophy on football – and on life – reveals as much about the competitor he is on the field as the young man he has become away from it.

“How you do anything is how you do everything. It’s about the work you put in.”

Fresh off morning practice Wiley is focused on the upcoming QU football season. But he’s equally focused on the mindset that has helped shape his success.

A standout lineman even before he first put on his cleats at QU in 2023, Wiley understands hard work and how it contributes to not only his success as a player, but also to the team’s achievements, as well.

Hailing from Hannibal, Missouri, the Hawks’ red-shirt senior attended Quincy Notre Dame High School, where he was a part of the football, baseball, and weightlifting programs. He was on the ‘A’ Honor Roll, was an Illinois State Scholar, was in the National Honors Society, and was QND’s Salutatorian. He led the football team in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles.

Following a standout sophomore season with the Hawks, his stock was on the rise. If that breakout year put him on the map, his junior campaign cemented him as one of the GLVC’s premier defenders.

Wiley put together one of the top defensive seasons in the Great Lakes Valley Conference last season, appearing in and starting all 11 games at linebacker. He led Quincy with 106 tackles, averaging 9.6 tackles per game, which ranked second in the GLVC and 18th in NCAA Division II.

The Captain also finished second on the team with 51 solo tackles, averaging 4.64 solo stops per game, which ranked third in the GLVC. He added 55 assists, eight tackles for loss for 56 yards, three sacks for 29 yards, one interception, one quarterback hurry, and six pass breakups.

The accolades didn’t stop there, though.

Wiley recorded five games with 10 or more tackles during the season. His top performance came against Missouri S&T (10/25/25), where he finished with a season-high 18 tackles and recorded the first interception of his career.

Those stats led to several post-season honors for the 6-foot-3 dominating defensive force.

Among the multitude of accolades Wiley received after the 2025 gridiron campaign include being named to GLVC Second Team All-Conference and the GLVC Academic All-Conference roster. He also received the distinguished Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholar award, an honor named after the two-time chair of the GLVC Council of Presidents.

Maintaining a 4.0 grade point average in a demanding pre-med major, Wiley has proven he’s as focused on academics as he is on being a two-time All-Conference LB.

No one realizes more than Wiley, though, that success on the field can be fleeting, and it can all be taken away in a heartbeat. What was done yesterday is no guarantee of what will be accomplished in the future.

Wiley revealed on social media in December that he tore his left labrum in game three of the Hawks’ 2025 campaign and had surgery on it two days before Christmas. It may have temporarily slowed him down, but it never stopped him from continuing to prepare for this year – or inspire others with his positive mental attitude.

Even on the night following his surgery, his post was upbeat, positive, and determined.

“Setbacks simply don’t define me. I’ll be back. See you in the fall,” the post stated.

That statement proved to be more than a promise. They ultimately became reality.

He was back at it – doing what he could work out wise – in February and was cleared in late June.

“I tried to do as much as I could,” Wiley said.

Now both ready and raring to go, Wiley said the QU coaches and players’ support have made the recovery easier. His sheer determination has accomplished the rest.

Noting that he comes from an athletic family, he was playing football at an early age, but as his impressive resume indicates he loves – and has at one time played – multiple sports.

Even his hobbies are geared toward athletics, as Wiley said he enjoys exercise, hunting and fishing, as well as spending the little amount of free time he has with his family.

During the NFL football season, he’s been a longtime fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his favorite Buc of all-time is retired linebacker Lavonte David. While he doesn’t necessarily emulate his play, Wiley noted “he’s about my size and is more of a smart than athletic guy.”

Excited about the upcoming season, Wiley looks forward to continuing to pummel the opposing squads with his stout resolve on the field.

Even more importantly, though, he hopes to inspire his teammates in their run to daylight, while possibly even inspiring future generations to greatness at the same time.

“My game’s progressed a lot over the years,” he said.

But part of success has been focusing on the task at hand and living by a mantra he wholeheartedly believes in.

“You have to look at college more like a job,” he said. “You’re putting in like 25-30 hours a week year-round. “You really have to love the game.”

Those are not only words Wiley lives by, but also the advice he offers young players hoping to achieve similar success in their high school and eventual college football careers.

For Wiley, football has never been just about tackles, sacks or awards. It’s about the work, the discipline and the example he leaves behind – proof that how you do anything really is how you do everything.