SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tyrone Willingham has taken to addressing his team's unlikely ascent to the Top 10 with a typically cryptic question. "Why not?"

	Jordan Black is playing a key role in South Bend this season.

The team's most dynamic leader exudes a certain "why not" quality of his own. Jordan Black is one of those guys who perfectly blends the generalities of his personality with the specificity of an offensive lineman. Sure, his size -- 6'6", 300 pounds -- gives away his avocation, but when your primary duty is to protect other people, you must call upon a certain, you know, nurturing ability. So he's personable and friendly. Why not?

Black invariably speaks through a wide, scruffy-faced smile, and his bright eyes always make him look as though he's going to burst into laughter. Maybe that's because the senior from Rowlett, Texas, finally has reason to laugh.

That he was chosen to speak at the team's first pep rally a few weeks ago came as a surprise to him. "I was coming off the field and someone handed me a piece of paper, saying I was the scheduled speaker," he says. "It was so loud and rowdy. There was an electricity. It's what I envisioned it must have been like around here in '88 or something."

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Willingham prefers not to discuss his players' personalities, but he stresses that each of his players should be his "own man." That means if you're vocal, be vocal. If you're not, lead by example. Ty was the one who made sure Black was seated next to him at the pep rally, and that he was the one to do most of the talking. The coach depends on his leaders to rally the rest of the team to their common cause. "There are three types of seniors," he says. "Those who lead, those who are indifferent, and those who follow."

Black will be the first to tell you he ain't the kind to follow. And you only need to spend a few seconds with him to know he's not indifferent. "Sometimes a coach might miss something," he says. "That's when I have to step in and tell 'em, we need more effort from you."

Black is an NFL prospect, but his ambition, like his team's, is without limit. He's majoring in computer applications and -- what else? -- psychology, with his eye on a specific goal. "I never had a good sense of what I wanted to do with my life until recently," he says. "Advertising exec? No, that wouldn't excite me. Then I thought about the FBI. Now I want to do that more than anything."

A 6'6", 300-pound federal agent with an amiable personality?

Sure. Why the hell not?

Alan Grant, a senior reporter for ESPN The Magazine, is spending the season in South Bend. Look for his regular reports on ESPN.com. E-mail him at alan.grant@espn3.com