The stories that endure in college football aren’t always written in trophies or titles. Sometimes, they belong to the players who step onto the field carrying something heavier than pads, the weight of love, loss, and legacy. For Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr., that weight has been his constant drive. Eleven months ago, tragedy struck when he lost his father. On Saturday, after Miami’s 49–12 victory over South Florida, Fletcher stepped to the podium wearing an orange vest emblazoned with the words ‘Long Live,’ his father’s photograph visible across his chest.

When asked what it meant to play for his dad, Fletcher’s response stilled the room. “It means everything to me,” he said, voice heavy with emotion. “Like that’s my why. Like, I don’t know what I could tell you what my why w

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