CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Rhyder Poppell lifestyle at The Citadel centers around a steady rhythm of early mornings, packed schedules and the unmistakable energy of someone who genuinely loves the grind.

A dual-sport athlete in football and baseball, the redshirt junior has carved out a reputation as the kind of teammate who shows up without fail, embraces his role and lifts those around him. His path wasn't built on a grand plan to do everything at once, but rather on a simple love for the game and a willingness to give his team whatever it needs.

"I loved football in high school just because it's a fast-paced game," Poppell said. "It's fun. Baseball's fun too, but I was really into that speed, that aggression. I knew I wanted to play football primarily in college. My dad played it and I loved watching games. I loved playing it."

Football was always the first love, but baseball emerged as an opportunity he earned through work and trust.

"I didn't necessarily come in here thinking, 'I want to play baseball and play football,'" he added. "It was more, 'I wanted to play football. Then, if I got the shot to play baseball, that's what I'll do as well,' but it was primarily football first."

Intentions aside, the team-first mindset continues to define him on both the diamond and the gridiron.


 


Embracing his Role

Ask anyone around either program -- Poppell serves as the proverbial 'glue guy,' a catch-all in sports where team chemistry and consistent energy act as fuel over the course of long seasons.

And over years within both, he has come to embrace the role.

"I think it's all just about being a good teammate, trying to do everything you can for your team," Poppell said. "I'm not going to get out there and try to do something I'm not capable of doing. If my role calls me to be a good teammate, I'm going to do it. If my role calls for special teams, then I'm going to go play special teams. I'm going to go pinch hit whenever I need to. I just kind of fell into the role, and I love it."

That willingness to serve, to fill gaps and bring energy, is also what led his coaches to believe he was ready for something bigger. When football head coach Maurice Drayton asked to meet with him, Poppell's first reaction was the same as any college athlete's -- pure nerves.

"Your first initial thought is, 'Uh oh, what did I do wrong?' Not every day you get a text from the boss man," he said with a laugh. "But he just sat me down about halfway through last year, and he said, 'I know it's still early, we're not even done with the season yet, but we just want to let you know, you're going to be the captain. We want you to start thinking about that.'"

That early vote of confidence told Poppell everything he needed to know about how much his coaches trusted him, not to mention how seriously they expected him to study leadership.

"Coach Drayton said, 'Watch Jack [McCall] and Mo [Maurice Bonneau Jr.] closer and see how they're doing stuff.' He has a lot of faith in me and all the other people that are going to help me out, and I look forward to the opportunity with this bunch of guys."


 


Balancing Two Sports, Plus Everything Else

A dual-sport athlete at The Citadel doesn't have the option to just focus on practice, games, workouts and everything in-between. Rather, the management of a daily schedule demands discipline and maturity.

"It was a lot, and it'll be a lot looking ahead," Poppell noted. "It was definitely a good amount to handle, what with morning workouts, classes, practices, games. Either baseball practice or football film session and lift. There wasn't a lot of free time going around because, after that, you got to come back and take care of schoolwork and everything else."

Still, the Tallahassee, Fla., product never saw it as a burden.

"I didn't really have a problem with it because, to me, it felt no different than doing it in high school," he recalled. "There were plenty of times where I would leave baseball practice early to go to a spring football practice, and then right when football ended, I was in the thick of it with baseball. So it didn't necessarily feel any different. The academics are a little more challenging being in college, but I didn't really have a problem."

This year, the balancing act became even trickier with an earlier football spring schedule and more baseball road trips.

"I didn't make it to every practice, but I was at every morning workout that I could make," Poppell continued. "Being the rising captain, you want to be there for your guys as much as possible. I didn't get to the Spring Game because baseball was hosting Western Carolina that same evening, but almost every morning workout, at least that I can think of, I was there."

He credits his football captain predecessors -- Jack McCall and Maurice Bonneau Jr. -- for showing him how to handle the load.

"They did an unbelievable job," he said. "I got to see how they did everything and how they were working, and this next year coming up, I'll be lucky to run it half as good as they did. They did an awesome job."

Leadership also means knowing how to take advantage of the resources around you. With honor reps on the team helping assist with academic accountability, captains can turn their attention primarily to the Corps.

"Now the captains can focus on strictly corps-related stuff while the honor reps can handle a lot of the academics," he concluded. "I think I'll be able to manage it pretty well."


 


Two Coaches, One Standard

Juggling two sports means building relationships with two coaching staffs and adapting to two different leadership styles. For Poppell, that hasn't been a challenge, but rather a lesson in consistency.

"They are different, but also in a weird way when it comes to coaching, they are the same," he said of Drayton and baseball head coach Russell Triplett. "They are both all about getting the work in, getting it done. They love playing hard. They love people who play hard, are good teammates and generate good team chemistry. So, they are different, but I guess in a weird way, they are not as different as some people would think."

He also sees the value in how each coach approaches The Citadel's unique military-driven environment.

"As a graduate himself, Drayton knows everything we went through and he understands how this place works," Poppell said. "I think this year Trip definitely understands more than he did his first year, and I think Coach Beckley and Coach Reeves, both of whom were cadets here and played here, helped him out a lot. Coming from the outside, understanding how this place operates can be tough, but he picked it up pretty fast and we're the best version of ourselves in every aspect."

Poppell has even noted how the two sports help build skills valuable to the other.

"Your explosion, being able to change direction, that helps in the outfield and running bases," the redshirt junior said of football's impact on baseball. "Coming from the baseball side, hand-eye coordination is everything. I took a couple of years off from baseball before I came back, and in that first practice, I just felt awkward catching the ball. I finally picked it back up after a couple of days and then I came back out to football, and it felt like I was seeing everything just 10 times better."

 


Carrying the Energy Forward

As the baseball team continues to find its stride late in the season, Poppell sees an opportunity to bring that momentum into the football offseason and beyond.

"I do think that our baseball team is peaking and I think we're going to do really well in the Southern Conference Championship," he added. "I think we're going to shock a lot of people."

His goal is to take that grit into summer workouts and set the tone for the fall.

"Those mornings are early," he continued. "You have to find a way to get everybody excited to come out there. This isn't a 'have to' thing, it's a 'get to' thing. There are plenty of people who would love to be in the position that we're in. Waking up early just to get a chance to play football and play baseball and everything in between."

Poppell believes strongly that leadership starts with example, and with his football captainship upcoming and the baseball program on the hunt for a postseason berth, he remains poised to play that role to the best of his ability.

"I try to remind guys, it's a privilege that we get to do it," he concluded. "And there's no better way to tell somebody and remind them of what they're getting to experience than to show it with your actions. You come out there and you bring energy every day. People are going to see that and hopefully they follow."