Minnesota walk-on placeholder Casey O’Brien got an opportunity to share his incredible story Friday.

O’Brien spoke to represent the players of the B1G at the conference’s kickoff luncheon. He was a promising high school quarterback who felt discomfort in his knee, and now, he’s a four-time cancer survivor and a member of the Gophers football team.

The Minnesota placeholder became the first walk-on to ever deliver a speech at the luncheon, and he gave an emotional 13-minute talk that sent reverberations around media days.

In all, he’s had 14 surgeries, months of chemotherapy and metal rods in his left knee. He announced during his speech that he’s been cancer free for one year.

“I am thankful for every day that we get to spend together as a family — the good ones and the bad ones — because I know that tomorrow is never promised,” O’Brien said to his family during the speech. “All the tests, scans, blood work, chemotherapy, loss of hair and everything else that happens when you fight cancer have been worth it.”

Below is a snippet of O’Brien’s speech via the Big Ten Network’s Twitter handle:

You can also view O’Brien’s full speech here.