University of North Texas Athletics
NFL Draft Prep Q&A: Zack Womack
4/22/2020 1:00:00 PM | Football
DENTON – As the 2020 NFL Draft approaches, MeanGreenSports.com spent some time with Mean Green football's director of strength and conditioning, Zack Womack to discuss his role in the process as a resource for North Texas' NFL hopefuls. Discussion also delved into the draft process as a whole, and how the CoVID-19 pandemic has adjusted the plans of prospects in Denton and around the country.
Womack is entering his fifth season in Denton as the director of the strength and conditioning program.
The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
Q: What is your role throughout the draft process with our guys typically [without a global pandemic affecting things]?
A: Okay. Well, first of all, the NFL, they all have days where they come in and they get the upcoming seniors, and they have information that those guys fill out. So, they get those guys' list of names, they meet with them, they give them questionnaires, they may do a height and weight and measure their arms, hands, that type of stuff. And then they fill out a questionnaire and it's basically just gathering information about the guys. And then we go on into the season. And when camp starts is when a lot of the scouts start to come out and start to visit schools, and we will have, at some point, every scout for every NFL team will be represented throughout the course of the season. You get scouts coming in, and we have, Monday through Thursday [available], they can come in and go through practice, and sometimes some guys show up on Sunday. Coach [Seth] Littrell has an open-door policy with scouts. There's not just one day a week, they can come whenever fits their schedule best and that's good because it gives our guys more opportunities as well.
Then they'll come to me, they'll talk to me about, maybe their character, their work-ethic, some of their numbers that they have. And it's not just me [they'll speak with]. They'll talk to Coach Littrell, they'll talk to position coaches, they'll talk to [Assistant AD for Football Operations] Shane [Elder] and [Coordinator of Football Operations] George [Matsakis], they'll talk to [Assistant AD for Equipment Services] Mike Villa in equipment if they need to. They'll talk with [Senior Associate AD for Sports Medicine] Jeff Smith, a lot as well.
So it's basically just gathered information, as much as they can on the guys throughout the season, and then obviously they watch their game and practice film.
Q: Sounds good. And then as you kind of advance into the offseason, what is the role there for you in preparing the guys for pro day and any workouts, they may have?
A: So, when the guys are done playing a lot of the guys are going to have options on if they want to go train somewhere. They can train here in-house with us and our staff, or they may have an option, or availability to go train in a different location. I am always 100% behind whatever they choose. And I tell them all. Look, go shop around, find out what you feel you're most comfortable with, because that's what it's going to come down to - you and your preparation. You need to be somewhere that you know is right [for you]. This is your future. You need to be somewhere that's going to help set you up going forward. When they do come back, you want them 100% comfortable knowing that they feel they're in the right spot and they're going to get the best training. So, we do that, number one.
We had several guys stay back this year and some of them just want to get out for a change. You know they've been here in this building for four years and they want to get around some other people that have the same type of goals and train, and that is great for all of them. If they have any questions on it, and if I have the answers I'll give them all the information [I have].
Then they have to make their decision, so we had several guys stay back. And they felt it was best for them to train here. In their situations they're still in classes, they're still going to school, they still have access to our training room full-time, they have access to a weight room full-time and their schedule really doesn't change much.
Now, when we get into the specifics of their training, first of all, we're going to go in, we've got to find out, when is our pro day date? Or do you have a combine invite or not? And that will change things - if you have a combine invite, you know your preparation has to start a little sooner because we have to get them ready for that date because the combine is in late February. Pro day could be in late March, or early April, so you have a little bit more time with them. And coming off of a season too, there needs to be a phase where they're healing up there. They're recuperating from the stress of a season, they're getting their bodies back ready. So we start back with very general strength general conditioning, just preparing their bodies for a specific phase that we're going into now.
This phase is just getting them ready to do certain tests that the NFL is going to test in, so their training is going to be built specifically towards those things.
And then after that day when they've done that, then we go back to just regular training again, to just staying in shape, get back to our foundation of our strength and things like that, so we'll build their foundation of their strength back up. Then we'll start getting into specifics throughout, it could be we're eight weeks out from the appropriate date. And so, my staff and I - Coach [Lucas] Lopez and Coach [Ethan] Gold, were very heavily involved as well in their, lifting training and their speed work in all their testing things that they needed to work on. So it's kind of a team effort there with those guys and we put together a plan for them.
Q: This year has been more different than probably any years in your career as it pertains to NFL Draft prep and things like that with the global pandemic going on and not being able to host a pro day which was going to be the first that was going to be in this beautiful indoor facility that's temperature and wind-controlled. What kind of things have been different this time around versus any other year you've you know you've been doing this?
A: Well, this year specifically you know we had that indoor facility to train in, which has been huge for those guys because you know in this time of the year, that you're training for your pro day is you're not going to have sunny and sunny every day, you're going to have some weather to deal with. It rained a lot and it was cold, but we were able to utilize that indoor to get great training in still, and there weren't any adjustments we had to make to our training schedule because of the weather. That's why a lot of guys go to those places like Florida, California and Arizona, because you get that, that weather. So us having an indoor facility for these guys specifically, in our first year it was, was great because we didn't have any adjustments that we had to make.
Another thing is that we had a great plan for them. They were doing great in their progression building up to their pro day. Then when all this came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rough going to those guys come say look man you have no pro day now. It's canceled, we're not going to have it. And then so now my role became - what kind of information can I get you guys, so that's why I reached out to scouts. What can I tell these guys, what can they look forward to, how does their training change now? Are we still training specifically for these drills, or do we move them on to just back to we just need to stay in shape and keep working our strength and ready for a day that they may get a call to get into a camp. So, that's the kind of the approach we had to take after that.
Q: Now, the other side of that too is, for the guys that are more likely to be drafted, in the past as an NFL team, you'd get those 30 visits that you can bring guys in. None of those workouts are happening now either, so everything's kind of shifted to zoom calls and video conferencing and those things. Do you offer yourself as a resource to them in that area too?
A: Well, we always offer ourselves as a resource for them for anything that they need, but I'm not really involved in any of that part of the process.
Usually during this time, people are getting in touch with the players. It's either directly or through Shane [Elder], or somebody that can help get them that information they need, or through their agent. I know their agents come into play. This is kind of where their agents kind of take over in getting them in front of people, getting them to their workouts, getting them on calls, getting them into different interviews and things like that. I don't have much experience on what that is, so I can't really speak on much of that, but I think it's more shifted to their agents. Now, scouts can still call us and ask about our guys, but I have a very small role in this part of their preparation.
Q: Now, you mentioned some scouts called in. Have you seen that more often this year at this time of year versus what happened in the past, or is about the same?
A: You know what, since this has happened, I've only talked to a few at this stage. You know, the scouts do such a great job of throughout the year, getting all the information that they really need. Outside of normally hosting a pro day, there isn't as much contact during this time. The main times I speak with scouts is when they're at our practices throughout spring [which didn't happen this year], the season, or during pro day itself.
Q: What were some of the tips that you got from those scouts that you did talk to about how to handle this situation? Previously you had mentioned talking to some scouts about how you could give the players guidance on what they're prepping for now given that there's going to be no pro days and things like that.
A: You know, my thing was like 'hey if I tell them this, am I out of line? Or am I in the right ballpark if I go down this road with them?' Because you know what? The scouts, they were still trying to figure everything out as well during all this too. They were worried about whether we were going to have a draft or not, so my thing was, do we change our training now that their pro day is over? Do we just take it back to keeping them in shape and making sure they're doing their position and skill work and still running around? What do we prepare him for? We can prepare him for phone calls and if they going to be going to places for tryouts and things like that when the time comes.
You know, they didn't even really know, and nobody's bringing people in for tryouts or looks or anything right now. So, I still think honestly they're trying to figure that out on what they're going to do. I just want to make sure that if I tell our guys look there's no pro day now, do I just tell him let's just stay in shape and they said yeah I think that'd be the best information to give them without anybody really knowing what's really about to happen.
Last time I talked to them, you know they thought maybe we better bring in 30. They didn't know how many people they might bring into mini-camp, when is mini-camp? I don't even really know how to answer some of that, everybody's kind of going through it. I just wanted to make sure that our guys knew to just stay in shape and be ready, so whenever that time comes, you'll be ready for it.
Q: Has anyone in that group that decided to stay at UNT and work out, stood out to you through the process?
A: Yeah, Mike [Michael Lawrence] and Mason [Fine]. They were probably our two most consistent guys. And the way they progress in their training and they show up every day, they're not going to miss anything, they really dedicated their time to this, and they put in the full effort that needs to be. Like I tell them, you're about to go to the biggest job interview of your life. So you've got to be completely ready and not only mentally, physically, but you have got to be ready in every phase, and they committed themselves to that.
You know, they were they were really doing well. Mason was progressing really well and running [well]. Mason is the kind of guy who would come back to the indoor and spend hours at night throwing hundreds of balls into nets and all over the field during his training. Mike was looking great running. So we were excited to see what they were going to do and so were they, and you know it is what it is, and they took it. You know you can tell they disappointed because you know you've worked for something for so long like they have and that time was finally about to get here. And now it's been disrupted. But, they took it like they take everything. They've still got things to prove, and they've always been the underdog. And so it hasn't affected who they are. They're just hoping for an opportunity somewhere, and that's all they've ever wanted.
Kelvin Smith, I mean the guy, he acts like a pro already the things that he does in his preparation with what he does with his body and his commitment level and his character, and how mature he is. But you know he was banged up from after the season and that kind of is putting him behind schedule, a little bit. Because of that, I don't know if he would have been 100% on the pro day, so maybe this this gave him a little bit more time to be ready, but he still didn't get to get in front of all the scouts, but the good thing for him was they know who he is, they've seen this game film. They know what kind of guy he is. He's in the same boat - when the opportunity is here, he will be ready for it.
Loren Easly was another guy who trained a handful of times with us, while also training at another facility, but he would come over on Tuesdays and train all these agility work and things with us and he did a good job. He was good and he was getting better. Then this all kind of happened and obviously we haven't been training together.
Q: Yeah, and I mean so much of these guys do have the benefit of having over the course of their four years of playing really good game tape, which I'm sure will only aid them in this process whether it's as a player who is drafted or as an undrafted free agent. Can you touch on the significance of that as you see it?
A: You can't get any better than game taping you know and that's what they're going to study. The Pro Day is a day where you can go showcase your skills in front of the scouts, and it's all their eyes on you. Sometimes it's for guys just to justify that, yeah I can run this fast and I am this athletic and I can jump this high, but at the end of the day, you don't get to do that, but you've got great game film, that's what's going to carry them through this process right now because they didn't get a pro day to showcase their skills in that way in front of the scouts. They've got to lean on the game tape and not only them, but a lot of those athletes throughout the country this year that's what they are going to have to do.
Q: Would you say that's where a guy like LaDarius Hamilton benefits so much from earning that invite to the Combine.
A: Yes, definitely, and he had a place he wanted to go, and he was with some guys and some other defensive linemen and that was great for him - he needed to do that. That was the right call for him, and I'm glad he got to do that and he got the opportunity to go to the combine and, and he made the most of it. He went there and did everything to the best of his ability and he's got no regrets. And now all this happened, but he was able to not only have great game film, but get in front of every NFL team at the NFL Combine and showcase his skills and so it's going to work out well for him. Something to note about LaDarius regarding his work-ethic is that he would spend at least an extra hour after every single day during the season doing extra conditioning and working his position drills.
Q: Now, I think there's no secret with the fact that it has been a substantial amount of time since a player has been drafted from University of North Texas. What would it mean for you and the program to have that streak end with one of these guys, or hopefully multiple guys in this group?
A: Not only for me, speaking though for our university and our staff and, you know, I want to make it clear that I'm just a small part in their time here and their success here. There's so many things that go into them being successful. First of all, it goes down to the position coach and the coaches that recruited them to be here. And then for the development that goes on from the coaches and in the program, there's so many people that are involved and I'm just one small little part of it. But, you know, to end that streak, I think it would just give us all a sense of pride and knowing that we're doing the right things to develop guys to get to that level.
Q: It's been great too that we've had the success of the guys that have gone the other route, the undrafted free agent route. Not only guys before your staff arrived, but you know guys that you and the staff as a whole helped shape and get them to a point where they're able to have success at that next level, albeit through a different path. But, I think there's a lot to look back at and you mentioned this about Mason and Mike and, certainly we've had guys in the past that fall into the same mold, always having had adversity and they've always found a way to motivate themselves and get them to the point where they're extremely successful with what they're doing every step of the way. Do you think that kind of plays into why there's been so much success from our student-athletes through the undrafted route?
A: Oh, without a doubt, I mean, Let's just take Jeffery Wilson for example. I mean, I don't know anybody that is as passionate and loves football the way he does. And, you know, for him to be able to do what he's done at that level, undrafted like a lot of the people that came through this university. You know, Patrick Cobbs, Zach Orr, Craig Robertson, Jamize Olawale, Jeff, Nate Brooks, Jalen Guyton, Roderick Young, Kemon Hall and, you know, all those guys. That's put a stamp on this university.
And they all are those kind of guys. if there was a guy in this class to end the streak and someone's going to get drafted, that they all have a part of that as well, because they're showcasing themselves in the NFL and now, 'oh yeah, we know where North Texas is, he went there, or so-and-so went there,' you know, where you're starting to get more looks, I guess you could say than what they've had in the past.
And it shows the character of those guys to look at all those guys that are out there doing it and it's definitely something that is consistent in the program that other people can look at.
I think what would be probably special for us as this staff with these guys is that they you know they were our first recruiting class. So we all got to be with them through their whole entire career, and then to be able to see them get to that next level, it's just kind of like the icing on the cake for all of us, I think
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A: If there's one thing to take out of it, those guys, they are who they are, they put in the work, I just feel honored to play just a small role in it. It's not me, it's them, they've got to put in the work, we just come up with the plan and they're the ones who have to put it to work. So, all the shout outs should go to those guys for sure.
They could've gone and trained with whoever in the country, it doesn't matter where, they're going to get better, because they're just who they are. All the respect and everything goes out to those guys right there for sure.
Womack is entering his fifth season in Denton as the director of the strength and conditioning program.
The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
Q: What is your role throughout the draft process with our guys typically [without a global pandemic affecting things]?
A: Okay. Well, first of all, the NFL, they all have days where they come in and they get the upcoming seniors, and they have information that those guys fill out. So, they get those guys' list of names, they meet with them, they give them questionnaires, they may do a height and weight and measure their arms, hands, that type of stuff. And then they fill out a questionnaire and it's basically just gathering information about the guys. And then we go on into the season. And when camp starts is when a lot of the scouts start to come out and start to visit schools, and we will have, at some point, every scout for every NFL team will be represented throughout the course of the season. You get scouts coming in, and we have, Monday through Thursday [available], they can come in and go through practice, and sometimes some guys show up on Sunday. Coach [Seth] Littrell has an open-door policy with scouts. There's not just one day a week, they can come whenever fits their schedule best and that's good because it gives our guys more opportunities as well.
Then they'll come to me, they'll talk to me about, maybe their character, their work-ethic, some of their numbers that they have. And it's not just me [they'll speak with]. They'll talk to Coach Littrell, they'll talk to position coaches, they'll talk to [Assistant AD for Football Operations] Shane [Elder] and [Coordinator of Football Operations] George [Matsakis], they'll talk to [Assistant AD for Equipment Services] Mike Villa in equipment if they need to. They'll talk with [Senior Associate AD for Sports Medicine] Jeff Smith, a lot as well.
So it's basically just gathered information, as much as they can on the guys throughout the season, and then obviously they watch their game and practice film.
Q: Sounds good. And then as you kind of advance into the offseason, what is the role there for you in preparing the guys for pro day and any workouts, they may have?
A: So, when the guys are done playing a lot of the guys are going to have options on if they want to go train somewhere. They can train here in-house with us and our staff, or they may have an option, or availability to go train in a different location. I am always 100% behind whatever they choose. And I tell them all. Look, go shop around, find out what you feel you're most comfortable with, because that's what it's going to come down to - you and your preparation. You need to be somewhere that you know is right [for you]. This is your future. You need to be somewhere that's going to help set you up going forward. When they do come back, you want them 100% comfortable knowing that they feel they're in the right spot and they're going to get the best training. So, we do that, number one.
We had several guys stay back this year and some of them just want to get out for a change. You know they've been here in this building for four years and they want to get around some other people that have the same type of goals and train, and that is great for all of them. If they have any questions on it, and if I have the answers I'll give them all the information [I have].
Then they have to make their decision, so we had several guys stay back. And they felt it was best for them to train here. In their situations they're still in classes, they're still going to school, they still have access to our training room full-time, they have access to a weight room full-time and their schedule really doesn't change much.
Now, when we get into the specifics of their training, first of all, we're going to go in, we've got to find out, when is our pro day date? Or do you have a combine invite or not? And that will change things - if you have a combine invite, you know your preparation has to start a little sooner because we have to get them ready for that date because the combine is in late February. Pro day could be in late March, or early April, so you have a little bit more time with them. And coming off of a season too, there needs to be a phase where they're healing up there. They're recuperating from the stress of a season, they're getting their bodies back ready. So we start back with very general strength general conditioning, just preparing their bodies for a specific phase that we're going into now.
This phase is just getting them ready to do certain tests that the NFL is going to test in, so their training is going to be built specifically towards those things.
And then after that day when they've done that, then we go back to just regular training again, to just staying in shape, get back to our foundation of our strength and things like that, so we'll build their foundation of their strength back up. Then we'll start getting into specifics throughout, it could be we're eight weeks out from the appropriate date. And so, my staff and I - Coach [Lucas] Lopez and Coach [Ethan] Gold, were very heavily involved as well in their, lifting training and their speed work in all their testing things that they needed to work on. So it's kind of a team effort there with those guys and we put together a plan for them.
Q: This year has been more different than probably any years in your career as it pertains to NFL Draft prep and things like that with the global pandemic going on and not being able to host a pro day which was going to be the first that was going to be in this beautiful indoor facility that's temperature and wind-controlled. What kind of things have been different this time around versus any other year you've you know you've been doing this?
A: Well, this year specifically you know we had that indoor facility to train in, which has been huge for those guys because you know in this time of the year, that you're training for your pro day is you're not going to have sunny and sunny every day, you're going to have some weather to deal with. It rained a lot and it was cold, but we were able to utilize that indoor to get great training in still, and there weren't any adjustments we had to make to our training schedule because of the weather. That's why a lot of guys go to those places like Florida, California and Arizona, because you get that, that weather. So us having an indoor facility for these guys specifically, in our first year it was, was great because we didn't have any adjustments that we had to make.
Another thing is that we had a great plan for them. They were doing great in their progression building up to their pro day. Then when all this came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rough going to those guys come say look man you have no pro day now. It's canceled, we're not going to have it. And then so now my role became - what kind of information can I get you guys, so that's why I reached out to scouts. What can I tell these guys, what can they look forward to, how does their training change now? Are we still training specifically for these drills, or do we move them on to just back to we just need to stay in shape and keep working our strength and ready for a day that they may get a call to get into a camp. So, that's the kind of the approach we had to take after that.
Q: Now, the other side of that too is, for the guys that are more likely to be drafted, in the past as an NFL team, you'd get those 30 visits that you can bring guys in. None of those workouts are happening now either, so everything's kind of shifted to zoom calls and video conferencing and those things. Do you offer yourself as a resource to them in that area too?
A: Well, we always offer ourselves as a resource for them for anything that they need, but I'm not really involved in any of that part of the process.
Usually during this time, people are getting in touch with the players. It's either directly or through Shane [Elder], or somebody that can help get them that information they need, or through their agent. I know their agents come into play. This is kind of where their agents kind of take over in getting them in front of people, getting them to their workouts, getting them on calls, getting them into different interviews and things like that. I don't have much experience on what that is, so I can't really speak on much of that, but I think it's more shifted to their agents. Now, scouts can still call us and ask about our guys, but I have a very small role in this part of their preparation.
Q: Now, you mentioned some scouts called in. Have you seen that more often this year at this time of year versus what happened in the past, or is about the same?
A: You know what, since this has happened, I've only talked to a few at this stage. You know, the scouts do such a great job of throughout the year, getting all the information that they really need. Outside of normally hosting a pro day, there isn't as much contact during this time. The main times I speak with scouts is when they're at our practices throughout spring [which didn't happen this year], the season, or during pro day itself.
Q: What were some of the tips that you got from those scouts that you did talk to about how to handle this situation? Previously you had mentioned talking to some scouts about how you could give the players guidance on what they're prepping for now given that there's going to be no pro days and things like that.
A: You know, my thing was like 'hey if I tell them this, am I out of line? Or am I in the right ballpark if I go down this road with them?' Because you know what? The scouts, they were still trying to figure everything out as well during all this too. They were worried about whether we were going to have a draft or not, so my thing was, do we change our training now that their pro day is over? Do we just take it back to keeping them in shape and making sure they're doing their position and skill work and still running around? What do we prepare him for? We can prepare him for phone calls and if they going to be going to places for tryouts and things like that when the time comes.
You know, they didn't even really know, and nobody's bringing people in for tryouts or looks or anything right now. So, I still think honestly they're trying to figure that out on what they're going to do. I just want to make sure that if I tell our guys look there's no pro day now, do I just tell him let's just stay in shape and they said yeah I think that'd be the best information to give them without anybody really knowing what's really about to happen.
Last time I talked to them, you know they thought maybe we better bring in 30. They didn't know how many people they might bring into mini-camp, when is mini-camp? I don't even really know how to answer some of that, everybody's kind of going through it. I just wanted to make sure that our guys knew to just stay in shape and be ready, so whenever that time comes, you'll be ready for it.
Q: Has anyone in that group that decided to stay at UNT and work out, stood out to you through the process?
A: Yeah, Mike [Michael Lawrence] and Mason [Fine]. They were probably our two most consistent guys. And the way they progress in their training and they show up every day, they're not going to miss anything, they really dedicated their time to this, and they put in the full effort that needs to be. Like I tell them, you're about to go to the biggest job interview of your life. So you've got to be completely ready and not only mentally, physically, but you have got to be ready in every phase, and they committed themselves to that.
You know, they were they were really doing well. Mason was progressing really well and running [well]. Mason is the kind of guy who would come back to the indoor and spend hours at night throwing hundreds of balls into nets and all over the field during his training. Mike was looking great running. So we were excited to see what they were going to do and so were they, and you know it is what it is, and they took it. You know you can tell they disappointed because you know you've worked for something for so long like they have and that time was finally about to get here. And now it's been disrupted. But, they took it like they take everything. They've still got things to prove, and they've always been the underdog. And so it hasn't affected who they are. They're just hoping for an opportunity somewhere, and that's all they've ever wanted.
Kelvin Smith, I mean the guy, he acts like a pro already the things that he does in his preparation with what he does with his body and his commitment level and his character, and how mature he is. But you know he was banged up from after the season and that kind of is putting him behind schedule, a little bit. Because of that, I don't know if he would have been 100% on the pro day, so maybe this this gave him a little bit more time to be ready, but he still didn't get to get in front of all the scouts, but the good thing for him was they know who he is, they've seen this game film. They know what kind of guy he is. He's in the same boat - when the opportunity is here, he will be ready for it.
Loren Easly was another guy who trained a handful of times with us, while also training at another facility, but he would come over on Tuesdays and train all these agility work and things with us and he did a good job. He was good and he was getting better. Then this all kind of happened and obviously we haven't been training together.
Q: Yeah, and I mean so much of these guys do have the benefit of having over the course of their four years of playing really good game tape, which I'm sure will only aid them in this process whether it's as a player who is drafted or as an undrafted free agent. Can you touch on the significance of that as you see it?
A: You can't get any better than game taping you know and that's what they're going to study. The Pro Day is a day where you can go showcase your skills in front of the scouts, and it's all their eyes on you. Sometimes it's for guys just to justify that, yeah I can run this fast and I am this athletic and I can jump this high, but at the end of the day, you don't get to do that, but you've got great game film, that's what's going to carry them through this process right now because they didn't get a pro day to showcase their skills in that way in front of the scouts. They've got to lean on the game tape and not only them, but a lot of those athletes throughout the country this year that's what they are going to have to do.
Q: Would you say that's where a guy like LaDarius Hamilton benefits so much from earning that invite to the Combine.
A: Yes, definitely, and he had a place he wanted to go, and he was with some guys and some other defensive linemen and that was great for him - he needed to do that. That was the right call for him, and I'm glad he got to do that and he got the opportunity to go to the combine and, and he made the most of it. He went there and did everything to the best of his ability and he's got no regrets. And now all this happened, but he was able to not only have great game film, but get in front of every NFL team at the NFL Combine and showcase his skills and so it's going to work out well for him. Something to note about LaDarius regarding his work-ethic is that he would spend at least an extra hour after every single day during the season doing extra conditioning and working his position drills.
Q: Now, I think there's no secret with the fact that it has been a substantial amount of time since a player has been drafted from University of North Texas. What would it mean for you and the program to have that streak end with one of these guys, or hopefully multiple guys in this group?
A: Not only for me, speaking though for our university and our staff and, you know, I want to make it clear that I'm just a small part in their time here and their success here. There's so many things that go into them being successful. First of all, it goes down to the position coach and the coaches that recruited them to be here. And then for the development that goes on from the coaches and in the program, there's so many people that are involved and I'm just one small little part of it. But, you know, to end that streak, I think it would just give us all a sense of pride and knowing that we're doing the right things to develop guys to get to that level.
Q: It's been great too that we've had the success of the guys that have gone the other route, the undrafted free agent route. Not only guys before your staff arrived, but you know guys that you and the staff as a whole helped shape and get them to a point where they're able to have success at that next level, albeit through a different path. But, I think there's a lot to look back at and you mentioned this about Mason and Mike and, certainly we've had guys in the past that fall into the same mold, always having had adversity and they've always found a way to motivate themselves and get them to the point where they're extremely successful with what they're doing every step of the way. Do you think that kind of plays into why there's been so much success from our student-athletes through the undrafted route?
A: Oh, without a doubt, I mean, Let's just take Jeffery Wilson for example. I mean, I don't know anybody that is as passionate and loves football the way he does. And, you know, for him to be able to do what he's done at that level, undrafted like a lot of the people that came through this university. You know, Patrick Cobbs, Zach Orr, Craig Robertson, Jamize Olawale, Jeff, Nate Brooks, Jalen Guyton, Roderick Young, Kemon Hall and, you know, all those guys. That's put a stamp on this university.
And they all are those kind of guys. if there was a guy in this class to end the streak and someone's going to get drafted, that they all have a part of that as well, because they're showcasing themselves in the NFL and now, 'oh yeah, we know where North Texas is, he went there, or so-and-so went there,' you know, where you're starting to get more looks, I guess you could say than what they've had in the past.
And it shows the character of those guys to look at all those guys that are out there doing it and it's definitely something that is consistent in the program that other people can look at.
I think what would be probably special for us as this staff with these guys is that they you know they were our first recruiting class. So we all got to be with them through their whole entire career, and then to be able to see them get to that next level, it's just kind of like the icing on the cake for all of us, I think
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A: If there's one thing to take out of it, those guys, they are who they are, they put in the work, I just feel honored to play just a small role in it. It's not me, it's them, they've got to put in the work, we just come up with the plan and they're the ones who have to put it to work. So, all the shout outs should go to those guys for sure.
They could've gone and trained with whoever in the country, it doesn't matter where, they're going to get better, because they're just who they are. All the respect and everything goes out to those guys right there for sure.
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