How Harold Fannin battled grief and became one of the nation's breakout players

Harold Fannin Jr. has 73 catches for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Bowling Green tight end is No. 1 among tight ends in 17 different categories -- including receptions, yards, touchdowns, yards after the catch ( 585 ) and broken tackles ( 24 ) Bowling Green faces Western Michigan tonight ( 7 p.m. , ESPN2 ) in the MAC championship game.

"I could have been scraping by; Now I feel like I'm flying by," he says.

Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin made the switch to tight end in 2022 .

His sister, Haria , was diagnosed with leukemia and died at age 20 .

Haria and her mom tried to shield Harold from the severity of her illness, which required surgery on her brain and lungs.

Bowling Green coach Loeffler coached multiple All- MAC tight end selections.

Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin is a semifinalist for the Mackey Award , given annually to the best tight end in the country.

Bowling Green coach Loeffler says he never considered entering the transfer portal to move to the Power 5 .

The Falcons have used him in a variety of ways this season , lining him up both as a traditional tight end but also in the backfield and as a quarterback.