Trevon Greene It may be called America’s Heartland, but Trevon Greene’s heart has never left Gaffney.

Greene has starred for William Penn University, located in central Iowa.

As a junior last season, he earned second-team all-conference honors and was named the team’s most valuable defensive player with 93 tackles.

Greene picked up where he left off last season with a teamleading 61 tackles this season.

Greene played running back for most of his career at Gaffney but showed his unselfishness by switching to linebacker.

He envisioned playing tailback at William Penn, but once again unselfishly made the move to defense. He redshirted as freshman but moved into the starting lineup as a strong safety the following season.

He’s been a fixture at outside linebacker since his sophomore season.

The transition on the field has been nothing to the transition he faced off the field.

“It was somewhat of a culture shock,” Greene said. “By I got used to the people.”

But he admits getting used to the harsh Iowa winters hasn’t been as easy.

“The biggest change has been getting used to the weather,” he said.

Greene was introduced to William Penn by two former Gaffney High greats, Kentrell Jones and A.J. Littlejohn. Jones was a standout quarterback for William Penn. Because he took a redshirt, Greene never suited up with Jones on Saturdays but did practice with him. In fact, one of Greene’s biggest thrills was intercepting a Jones pass in practice.

“I grew up being a big fan of Kentrell’s,” Greene said. “Picking off one of his passes was just crazy.”

Greene credits his Gaffney football roots for his success at William Penn.

“I did get a little stronger and faster when I came out here, but I just willed myself to play good because of all the upper echelon football players coming from Gaffney,” he said. “I just wanted to continue that.”

Greene will graduate this spring with a major in sports management and minor in business. He is considering a career in a sports related field helping kids or one that embraces his new passion of writing and producing music.

Whichever career path he chooses, he’s happy with the trail he’s already blazed.

“I can’t complain at all with my time here,” he said. “When I think about it, I got to go to college and play football. It’s been a good experience for me.”

Even in the winter.