Expert: Thom Brooks - 1/17/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hey,

I have been wanting play football at the D1 college level and I have a few questions I would like to ask you.

Im 6"1-6"2 and 225lbs. Hoping to play something like a TE, DE, or LB(probably outside).

I want to try and bulk up a bit more and be somewhere in the range of 235-245lbs and my frame allows it. Is that size about right for any of those positions in D1 ball? Also if I go to a community college and then transfer to somewhere like Virginia Tech, does that cut years off of my elegibility at all?

Also could you help me on the specs of things like the 40 yard dash times and weight room numbers for those positions (I'd imagine they wouldn't be to much different). Also im perfectally capable of running 1 mile a day but it usually leaves my ankles hurting all the way around do you know what this could be from? (I have done once every two days running a mile and sprints, and the days other than that are working out in the weightroom). Any suggestions about what type of weightlifting I should be doing or how to bulk up to that size but drop my 40 (which is about a 5.2-5.3 in the freezing cold) to a below 5?

Your help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Tyler

ANSWER: Tyler, hello and Happy New Year!

Your eligibility of playing will count for JUCO and reduce your higher division eligibility.  Your program to train should be supervised by the coaching staff where you will play.  If you're running a 40 in 5.3 and can keep written track of your times, get it down to the 4.8 or 4.6.

The position you play would determine if you need speed over strength, etc.  I cannot answer your pain in the ankles from running other than you may have weak ankles that may not be tolerant of excessive miles.  It's common to suffer shin splints until you get conditioned to run.  In the Army, we were taught to run backwards for a short time to reduce the stress.  

Keep working hard.  Someone will be lucky to have your discipline on their team!

Thom Brooks

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey, thanks for your help so far.

What exactly is JUCO? I have never heard of it, is there a way to check on it for places near Roanoke, Virginia? The community college I am going to does not have any sports teams to my knowledge, and that is what I have been told abuot my ankles. Thanks for the information on 40's, I have 2 years before transferring out of this college and hopefully into VT so getting that 40 down by .5 or .7 seconds is doable with all the plyometrics I am starting. But I will shoot for soemthing around 4.4 or 4.5. Just hope I can maintain the frame for it. Maybe JUCO will help me, but what is it? And if I play 1 year in that then its 1 less year of elegibility?

Answer
Tyler, hello!

JUCO is Junior College.  

You can go to websites like J C Football Recruiting
or
NCAA.org

They will lead you to the states that have JUCO football programs.  

Your school will have the websites of the national JUCO's .
Go to that website and it will show the nearest programs that offer football.

Yes, you would use us NCAA eligibility by playing but if you rrasnsfer up to higher divisions, you would not have to sit out a year.

Take care!

Thom Brooks