CORVALLIS -- Aiden Sullivan heard it before he felt it.
While running toward the end zone in the second game of his sophomore year of high school, a teammate fell on his plant leg. Sullivan's tibia and fibula snapped. From the stands, his mother watched a kid who always seemed to get up writhe on the turf in pain.
By the following season -- with the help of a titanium rod and four screws, along with extra recovery time due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- Sullivan was back on the field.
"He's always had this quiet determination," mother Rahnna Sullivan said. "In regards to that injury, I don't think there was ever a doubt in his mind that he'd be back. From the community's perspective, it was time to hang up his cleats and choose a different path. The determination on that kid is absolutely incredible."
Sullivan, now starring at inside linebacker for Oregon State football, hails from the desert town of Twentynine Palms, California, east of San Bernardino.
For some, Twentynine Palms is a gateway to Joshua Tree National Park. A stopover to fill up before the long journey ahead. But for more than 70 years, it has also been home to the nation's largest training ground for U.S. Marines.
One of those Marines was Sullivan's grandfather, James Ables, who died in January. A 28-year veteran of the corps who retired as an E-9 Sergeant Major, his influence on Sullivan was immense.
"He taught me everything that I didn't know but I needed to know," Aiden Sullivan said. "I wear his dog tag every game on my shoe. I feel like he's with me."
Sullivan and Ables took long road trips together to Texas to visit extended family and shared a love of sports. Ables was at every possible sporting event and important life moment for Sullivan, whose single mother was often working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
As Sullivan grew older and strived for independence as a rebellious teenager, his grandfather was there to straighten him out. When a man who did three tours in Vietnam and took part in Operation Desert Storm speaks, you listen.
"I was all over the place, man," Aiden Sullivan said. "I needed just a little bit more guidance. My grandpa was there for me all the time, and I feel like he did a good job keeping me out the way. Along with my moms. I always wanted to make them proud."
Sullivan didn't receive much college attention for football. He played both linebacker and running back but found himself focusing more on the defensive side of the ball.
He originally committed to a NAIA program in Kansas, University of Saint Mary. But an opportunity arose with Butte College in Northern California, and he left a week after high school graduation to join their football program.
Oroville -- nearly 70 miles north of Sacramento -- was even smaller than Twentynine Palms. Sullivan admits he hated it, but his mom forced him to stick it out.
"I remember him calling me on the Fourth of July, and he wanted to come home," Rahnna Sullivan said. "He was starting to say things like, 'If you don't let me come home,' but I had to stop him and tell him, 'You're not coming home, dude. It's not gonna be easy but this is where you want to be. Keep pushing.' And that was hard as a mom."
After a few weeks, Sullivan settled in. His second year at Butte was the breakout: 82 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and an interception.
Sullivan took visits to Eastern Michigan, UC Davis, Wyoming and North Alabama before eventually committing to Oregon State.
Four appearances in 2024 included eight tackles. Sullivan admits he needed time to learn the scheme and earn his keep with the Beavers. But the physicality was always there.
"I like to go on the field and hit people," he said with a grin. "I'm not gonna say I want to hurt nobody, but I want them to hurt, too."
In 2025, Sullivan is blossoming into one of OSU's most important defensive players. Through six games, he has 33 tackles and two forced fumbles -- one of which put the ball on the ground in the end zone late in a loss to Appalachian State.
Teammates rave about his intensity.
"He definitely is one of them energy-bringers," outside linebacker Zakaih Saez said with a knowing look. "He brings it to the table, for sure. He don't care. He just do his job and go hit somebody."
The season hasn't been easy. The Beavers are 0-6, and could easily come apart at the seams. The locker room after last Saturday's loss to the Mountaineers was in a bad place, according to coach Trent Bray.
But Saez is among those staying relentlessly positive, and Sullivan insists the team isn't pointing fingers and has grown closer through adversity.
Whenever Sullivan wants to keep his struggles in perspective, he can look down at the dog tags hanging from his cleats.
"Sometimes it's hard in the moment,but you just have to take a step back and realize this is what you dream of doing," he said."Even though you're not in the position you want to be in,God just blessed me with the opportunity to go out here and play the game that I love.We don't have an option to quit."