Just a few hours before No. 63 suited up in his helmet and pads to take the field at A-Day, he was decked out in full costume and make up, taking the stage in the theater department's performance of Hamlet.
"It was great," said Blake Burgess, sophomore in theater and offensive lineman for the football team. "We had a sold-out house every night, and our Saturday performance was our best one. After that, I went straight to A-Day, which was very exciting and very exhausting."
Burgess has been balancing his two passions, football and theater, since he was young and now spends most of his time between the field and the stage.
While football and acting may seem so different, Burgess said he finds similarities between the two.
"In theater and football, you have to take direction," Burgess said. "You have to be 'coachable' as the football coaches would say. You have to be able to learn from your mistakes and correct them and grow from them, and that's true in both fields."
Burgess said sports have been a part of his life since he was younger.
"My father and granddad both played sports, so it has been something we've always done," Burgess said. "I've always loved (football). I've played since I was in second grade, and I have always enjoyed it."
While Burgess started acting for different reasons, he said he quickly developed a passion for it that nearly matched his love of football.
"My sister actually got into theater first, and I saw that she was getting a lot of attention from my family because she was in theater," Burgess said. "So out of pure jealousy, I decided to get in it as well. But later I grew to love it on my own, and that's where I am now."
While he balanced both activities as a student at Vestavia Hills High School in his hometown of Birmingham, Burgess said the transition of doing both theater and football at the college level was much more difficult.
"In many fields that you go into, college is a different level," Burgess said. "It requires more attention to detail, more training, more studying, in both theater and football. It is definitely harder, but by the grace of God I have been able to pull it off."
Despite the early morning workouts and sleepless nights spent running lines, Burgess said getting to do the two things he loves makes the sacrifices worthwhile.
"Wanting to perform and wanting to show everyone what I can do and just that love of performing on the football field and on stage, it just kind of keeps you going," Burgess said.
Despite his stressful schedule, friends said that Burgess continues to bring energy and positivity to rehearsals and performances.
"Blake is a really goofy guy who is probably one of the most thoughtful human beings I know," said Marcus Clement, junior in theater. "I can tell when he starts to get tired between both theater and football, but he never lets it show. He always keeps a positive attitude."
Burgess seems to be living in two different worlds at once, and balancing the roles of both an athlete and actor has come with its share of scrutiny. However, Burgess said it is all in good fun.
"The football team teases me for being too soft because I'm in theater, and some of my theater friends joke about me being just a big, dumb athlete," Burgess said. "But it is definitely just fun. None of it is ever malicious."
Those around him seem to notice the hard work Burgess is putting in, but say that Burgess does not let the stress of living a sort of double life get to him.
"I think it's definitely difficult, but he always has a positive attitude about it," said Anna Claire Walker, freshman in musical theater who has known and acted with Burgess since middle school. "He definitely stays on task, but he's always the one we can count on to be happy or joking around, but he is always committed to what he is doing."
Burgess said he has no plans to stop pursuing both of his dreams after he graduates.
"There's a certain time in your life where you are in the prime to play football, and if I get a chance to play football at another level, I would love to continue doing that," Burgess said. "But if not, I would like to become a working actor.
That's just kind of what I want to do."
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