There's one thing All-American Jalil Brewer must do before every meet.
"I pray, a lot," Brewer said. "I just pray. I remember my past and how I got here and all the things I had to go through to get to where I am now in my life."
And where is he now? He is ready to enter the Big Ten Outdoor Championships this week, ranking fourth all-time in Purdue outdoor shot put history, No. 2 in the Big Ten this season, after garnering a silver medal at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, a trip to the NCAA Indoor National Championships and receiving All-America status.
This all comes in Brewer's 2019 sophomore season and despite the accolades he's gathered this year, it hasn't been any easy road.
First, he redshirted his freshman year. Then, as this year's indoor season was revving up, he suffered a hamstring injury. Next, Brewer hyper-extended his pointer finger. "My knuckle got so huge to the point where every time I put the shot put on my neck, it was painful," he said. "That went on for about 7-8 weeks and I threw with it at Big Tens and going into nationals. No matter what, it didn't stop me."
After missing meets due to his injuries, Brewer proved himself when it counted most: the postseason. There, at the conference championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Brewer rose to the occasion, although some may not have expected it the way his first few throws were going.
But Brewer knew what he could do.
"The night before Big Tens I was talking to Jordan Hollis and I said to him 'No matter how this whole indoor season has gone for me so far, it's time to compete. It's time to get points. There's something on the line now. No matter what, I'm leaving the past behind. I'm leaving it all behind.'"
He credits his mentality to journaling and his support system, especially his mom.
"I started journaling when I messed up my finger," Brewer said. "I feel like that was a blessing because before I was looking at things my way. Like if it wasn't my way, it was no way. But in order to be great, it takes two, not one. It helped me realize I needed to be more open and start attacking things a different way. It's a blessing from God because now my technique is a whole lot better and I'm more positive."
It took until Brewer's sixth and final throw at Big Tens. On his last attempt, the Indianapolis native made it count, hurling the shot put further than he ever has before, landing at 19.58-meters to claim second-place in the event and the 13th-best throw in the nation. His perseverance helped the Purdue men to fourth-place, its best finish in the Big Ten Championships since 2010.
But now, the indoor season is behind us. And with that, Brewer uses his success to push himself harder. He's had a taste of what success looks like. And now he wants more.
"I did it, and now I'm ready to move on to the next."
But as the saying goes, the road to success doesn't come easy and Brewer knows that.
So how does he keep going?
"It's all about grit. I've had more failures than I've had achievements this year," Brewer said. "But the achievements were huge. I say grit because despite all the hard times I've had in my life, I just kept pushing no matter what and kept telling myself to be positive."
While failure would not be a term we would pick, Brewer's outdoor season has taken a similar course as those Big Ten Indoor Championships throws– maybe a shaky start, sure, but building to an incredible finale.
The Florida Relays kicked off the new shot put season for Brewer, but it did not go as anticipated. The indoor All-American finished 14th. Last place. But as any true Boilermaker, he put his head down and went to work. The performance, while not ideal, laid the ground work for the season.
A foundation from which to improve.
"My mom always told me, 'Everything you do, give it your all'. Every time I see her, she says that to me," Brewer said. "And that's always stuck with me; that's shaped me as a person.
"She's told me 'I just want you to be on top of everything you do, just make sure you give everything 100 percent and don't be afraid to ask questions."
Mom is always right.
The next weekend was the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Arizona. It was time to give it his all. He had the foundation and now was ready to build.
And he did, walking out of Roy P. Drachman Stadium with a fourth-place finish and an improved throw by two meters.
"I'm the type of person where you tell me something, I'm going to do it. It's either zero or 100 for me," Brewer said.
Brewer put his money where his mouth was the following meet: the Louisville Invite where he went on to win the event. The sophomore didn't stop with a first-place finish, though. He did it with a distance of 19.26-meters for an outdoor personal best, the top throw in the Big Ten at the time and the fourth-best in program history.
That throw holds him at No. 23 in the nation heading into postseason.
Brewer rode the momentum to one of the most prestigious, long-standing meets in NCAA track & field history: the Drake Relays, which featured 28 student-athletes in the shot put alone—over three times as many competitors as his previous meets.
And how did he fare? With another top-two finish, placing second with a mark of 18.97-meters.
"My goal is to win the Big Ten Championships in the shot put and then make it to nationals. I want to make top-six there and compete with the best," Brewer said.
"Right now, I'm just checking them all off my list. But I have to keep sticking with it and keep pushing. Keep being dedicated and keep being deliberate in practice. It's really just about keeping with it and staying positive. I'm working so hard in the weight room, I'm working so hard out there, I know good things will come."
Now, days away from the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Brewer is ready to once again cash in on his hard work.
"I've proved I'm a national-caliber athlete. I can do this."
If there's one thing to take away from Brewer's performances this year, it's that you can never count him out.