On the football field, Brandon Cleveland cuts a rather imposing figure.

Listed on NC State’s roster at 6-4, 315 pounds, he helps lead the defense along the front line from his starting nose guard position.

This week, he is back in his hometown of Tampa, Florida, as the Wolfpack ends its 2025 season by facing Memphis in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19. Cleveland has been with the program for four years of increasing playing time — a relative rarity in these transfer-portal days — and will participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January.

But as committed as he is to football, Cleveland demonstrated one of his other commitments last month in a different kind of competition: the Pantry Bowl.

“I don’t want people thinking I’m just a big, mean guy,” he said with a chuckle.

Indeed, “meaningful” might be a better adjective. Cleveland donated $2,000 of his NIL money to the Pantry Bowl, an annual friendly competition between NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill to raise money for fighting food insecurity. Overall, the Wolfpack community raised $207,805 this year to benefit its Feed the Pack Food Pantry, where students and other members of the campus community can access essentials like food and toiletries.

For a couple of years, Cleveland has waged text campaigns encouraging others — from teammates to coaches to family members — to join him in making financial gifts to support efforts against food insecurity. He estimates that his efforts have generated about $15,000.

In November, he teamed up with Pack United, with his personal Pantry Bowl contribution serving to boost recognition of the cause and to challenge others to give. Pack United is an officially registered nonprofit NC State student organization of student-athletes; its stated mission is supporting the Wolfpack through education, action and awareness.   

“When Feed the Pack was brought to my attention, wow. It’s kind of crazy to me that we can have hunger on campus,” Cleveland said. “It’s something people might not even think about. I definitely wanted to see how I could get involved to help.”

Earlier in his NC State career, his volunteer efforts included collaborating with Johnny’s Pizza to hand out free pizzas every Monday in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square, an area where the unhoused community often gathers.

Cleveland has been involved in other individual and student-athlete service events, both through the football team’s ongoing efforts with organizations including GiGi’s Playhouse and more broadly, donating his NIL funds here and there. During the Christmas season, he works with the regional hospital in his hometown.

“I’m just returning the favor,” Cleveland said.

“The favor” dates from his younger years. He grew up with a single mother who often worked long hours as a nurse. The community helped support his success, meeting here-and-there needs like rides to and from football practice or invitations to dinner.

Now, Cleveland has twice been named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, college football’s top award for community service, and nominated for the American Football Coaches Association’s Good Works Team, another college football service recognition.  

Making connections to help other student-athletes have a similar impact is a primary goal of Pack United, said Brooklyn Holt, a senior member of the NC State women’s soccer team who serves as the group’s current president.

“We help bridge the gap between people who want to help and groups that need help,” she said.

In early November, during the Athletics Department’s annual civic engagement day, Holt volunteered at Feed the Pack. She was inspired by Stevie Kimmet, the staff program director for the university’s Pack Essentials initiative to address student needs, which includes the food pantry.

“She’s amazing and so passionate,” Holt said, and she and other Pack United leaders thought Pantry Bowl involvement was a no-brainer.

Pack United teamed up with Cleveland and worked with staff members in Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving to set up a special giving link to promote for student-athletes.

Led by a seven-member executive board, Pack United organizes such opportunities to make a difference globally and locally, with varying numbers of participants.  

This year, it has coordinated events where student-athletes packed hundreds of meals for both worldwide nonprofit Rise Against Hunger and Raleigh nonprofit Oak City Cares. Over the summer, the group enlisted incoming student-athletes to stuff more than 200 school backpacks for members of the Wake County Boys and Girls Club, with Cleveland among the donors funding purchase of supplies.

Pack United also has completed projects recently to benefit both InterAct and Habitat for Humanity.

“It was always instilled in me to be more than a student-athlete,” said Holt, a communications major (with a concentration in public relations and minors in business and journalism). Holt is also a member of the university’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); she started and played 90 minutes in all 18 of the Pack’s matches this fall. “As athletes, we have such a huge platform and we are given so much. I’m personally so blessed. Any chance to give back is a huge passion for me.”

The Athletics Department’s student-athlete engagement team supports a variety of community, service and leadership development opportunities, including playing an advisory role for Pack United.

“It has always been important for us to get our student-athletes involved and active in the community. The service work is an extension of their learning and leadership development and it provides a greater perspective shift of the skills they possess and the impact they can make,” said Raymond Harrison Jr., senior associate athletics director for student development and performance. 

The Wolfpack football team, including its alumni, in particular has received recognition in recent years for ongoing community impact. Alumnus Bradley Chubb, now a linebacker with the Miami Dolphins, was recently announced as his team’s newest recipient of the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year honor. (An hourlong Christmas Eve program on ESPN will showcase this year’s 32 club winners including Chubb.) He follows in the footsteps of other NC State alums recognized through the annual program that highlights excellence on and off the field.

“We are one of the best schools in the ACC, if not the country, as far as encouraging student-athletes to get involved in service and in the community,” Holt said. “I’m really, really proud of that.” 

Cleveland, who also cuts a rather humble figure, has several reasons for pride lately too. Getting the chance to participate in a bowl in his hometown is a thrill, he said, and likely will include lots of friends and family in attendance. 

The game hasn’t been the only big event on his December calendar. He graduated as a sport management major.

“I’m super excited to get my degree,” he said. “Not a lot of people in my family have that.”

Cleveland’s immediate future will focus on training and attending NFL scouting events, working for his shot at professional football. Owning a business, possibly in real estate, is a longer-term goal.

The relationships he has built with teammates, staff and faculty, he said, along with his community work, have been the highlight of his time at NC State. Oh, and maybe one more highlight.   

Cleveland never lost to the Tar Heels, not once – on the field or in the Pantry Bowl.

“Yep, we beat them every time,” he said.