By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
Family is important. Sometimes it gets taken for granted. Sometimes things can get heated. But at the end of the day, family is always there to care and support.
But family doesn't necessarily have to be imprinted in the DNA, born of the same flesh and blood. Family can be gained through shared experiences, through a common bond, through fighting through the trenches of the field with their fellow teammates.
It's not uncommon for sports to lend itself to creating a family atmosphere, and, in the case of Tennessee Tech freshman wide receiver Metrius Fleming, a new set of family members to replace the one he lost.
On July 5, Fleming was headed to Cookeville, Tenn., getting set to meet his new teammates at Tech. As the trip was being made, the true freshman kept receiving text messages and phone calls – the news escalating as it went further along.
At the same time, at Georgia's Richard B. Russell State Park, tragedy was unfolding.
"My brother, he was having a cookout back home," Fleming said. "I was getting so many calls. No one really wanted to tell me what was going on. They just kept asking me if I had heard from my brother. I asked what happened and they said they didn't know, but to let them know if I heard anything."
Fleming's brother, Tyshon Dye, was swimming with two other brothers in Lake Russell. According to reports, Dye started to tire and couldn't make it back to shore. The brothers there saw Dye go under the water, but couldn't help him.
"Each call," Fleming said, "people were putting in more detail on what happened. Then I heard the news."
His body was later recovered that afternoon, his life cut short at 25.
But what he had done in his life was incredible, and their bond was great.
"He was a lot of fun to be around," Fleming said. "All we did was talk about football. He went to go play at Clemson and he was a leader on and off the field. He did what I want to do – just keep getting better every day."
When Dye played for Elbert County High as a junior, he rushed for 1,561 yards and 21 touchdowns, before his senior campaign, hampered by injury, was held to 817 yards and 12 scores.
He went on to play three seasons for Dabo Sweeney at Clemson, earning a national championship with the Tigers in his final season in 2016. With the Atlantic Coast Conference school, Dye ran for 351 yards and five touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 11 yards. Then, in May 2017, Dye earned his degree from Clemson in parks, recreation and tourism management.
He took a graduate transfer to East Carolina to finish out his eligibility in 2017, rushing for 217 yards on 50 carries in his final season, while catching six passes for 56 yards.
Through football, he earned an opportunity.
And that's something Fleming embraces. He comes into Tennessee Tech looking to be the first on his direct side of the family to go to college and have an opportunity to get a degree. Tyshon was Fleming's brother through their shared father.
Football gave him that chance, and his brother gave him the inspiration.
"It just means so much," Fleming said. "I'm the first one from my family to go to college, so this is something I have to do. Back home, there's a lot of people who look up to me. I want to be a leader, that's one of my goals. Football's my ticket out and I have to prove myself every day.
"(Tyshon) is so much of an inspiration. On and off the field, he could do everything. Everything I do this season is for him. He got me here and I want to give him my best. I have to play strong and do everything I can do."
Flash back to this past fall. Fleming, as a senior at Elbert County High, was putting up tremendous numbers of his own. He caught 66 passes for 1,180 yards, averaging 17.9 yards per catch and 118 yards per game. He also ran 11 times for 182 yards and completed a pass for 56 yards.
Fleming was also standout on the track, earning state championships in the long jump and the 110-meter high hurdles.
When Tennessee Tech received Fleming's National Letter of Intent on December 19, 2018, the younger brother was ready to follow in his elder's footsteps.
"The coaching staff, the players, they all treated me like family," Fleming said, referencing his earlier visits to the University. "Even now, I've met coaches, professors and it's just amazing. I love everybody up here."
As time slips back toward the present, the reality of the situation was tough on the incoming Tech freshman, but a new family was soon to be there to welcome him with open arms.
"It didn't change at all," Fleming said. "When I got up here, they all asked what they could do. They took care of me. I was just a new guy on the team, but it didn't matter, they were there.
"They tried to get me to not focus on it as much. They'd invite me over to their place and we'd laugh and carry on. They treated me like I was their brother. We're family. If I need something to eat, they take me out. Whatever I need, they help me out."
Fleming is coached by another new face, wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope, and it's been a great experience for the young charge thus far learning from a coach who was Samford's all-time leading receiver.
"Coach Pope is an amazing coach," Fleming said. "He knows so much about the details and has done so much to get me to be a better player. He's an awesome coach and person."
The teammates have also been a great fit as well.
"We always talk about holding each other accountable," Fleming said. "If I miss something, if I lay out, they're on me, saying 'No, start over.' They want to see the best of me and push me to get better. That means so much."
The transition from high school to Division I football hasn't been easy either.
"It is way faster," Fleming said, with a smile. "There is no walking at all. (Snaps fingers) Everything is fast paced. You've got to know everything – where to be, being there at the right time. It's hard, but it's fun."
Through camp work, Fleming has progressed greatly, putting together incredible catches and outstanding plays. He has continued to be one of the hardest workers on the field this summer and could make a name for himself once the 2019 campaign begins on Aug. 31 as Samford comes to Cookeville.
"I want to make it through camp healthy and know the plays," Fleming said. "I want to become a better player day after day. When I got here I wasn't the best route runner, but I've worked hard and learned more each day. If I can help the team, I'm going to do everything I can do."
And as the season and the 2019-20 academic year begins, Fleming has already found something special, because no matter what the background is, no matter what position is played, they all come together as one and has each other's back.
It is a true family.
"Especially at Tennessee Tech," Fleming said.
