Alan Strong, “ A Football Dream Deferred”

Alan Strong, “ A Football Dream Deferred”
by Next Level Combines

Alan Strong immediately hugged his mother when he received a letter in the mail form Vanderbilt University offering him a full football scholarship. Strong thought this would be ease the pain of growing up in poverty. Strong dad played a limited role in his life

 I thought I was going to be able to buy my mom a house and live our dreams of playing in the NFL. But things didn’t go as planned.

Alan mom entered him into football at the age of 5 because of constantly getting into fights in school. Alan was very aggressive with his classmate and often found himself in trouble with his teachers.

His mom decided to put him in football to channel this excess energy. Alan was a member of Ben Hill Tigers. The Tiger’s had a reputation for two things: Winning championships and developing great football players.  Alan would go on to win the several championship with the tigers.

“Playing for Ben Hill  was a life changing experience for Alan. They taught him how to be fearless, how to run through tackles, and how to win.

 

 

During Strong’s junior year of high school, he severely dislocated his shoulder.  Strong knew if he did not do well his junior year or get enough playing time, his dreams of playing college football would surly fade away. With high school programs pouring out talent every year, there was little room for injuries and mistakes. After extensive rehab and wearing a brace, and continuing to play injuried, Strong and his mom created a game plan for success.  

After doing research of how combines help athletes display their talents and gain recognition, Strong knew that it was time to prepare for upcoming camps and combines. After spending countless hours in the weight room Strong attended his first combine after his junior season. Strong did very well in many of the events, but ran a 4.63 forty.

 After gaining strength through squats and leg press and a constant drive to be the best, Alan lowered his time down to a 4.35 in the forty yard dash and the rest is history. Alan would go on to also do well at major events such as Nike Combine, New Balance Showcase, and Vanderbilt junior day, Auburn Camp, and other events. Strong steady showing major universities he had Division 1 speed and could be a utility player. Alan got the recognition of a number coaches from major college program despite his 5’9 stature. Although undersize, Strong was a great tackler and could deliver some punishing hits. Coaches also loved his competitive nature and his sprinter speed.  Strong also did very well in one vs. one match up in man and zone coverage.

After a strong combine performance, Strong gained the recognition for being a shutdown cornerback his senior year.  Strong senior year; he did not give up a single touchdown pass. Vanderbilt would go on to offer Strong a full ride to Vanderbilt University. Strong picked Vanderbilt because it combined the best of both worlds. It had a very strong Academic reputation and it was an upcoming program that played in the best conference in the nation.

"Signing Day was the day that all my dreams come true. All that hard work had finally paid off. All the people who said that I would never make it, I finally prove them wrong. This was a big relief and I was very grateful for the opportunity."

 

While at Vanderbilt, Strong took a course in Creativity and Entrepreneurship where students were required to write a business plan and this was the start of Next Level. He did pretty well and this gave him the encouragement to pursue his dreams of creating an organization that focuses on education and athletics.

“ I did pretty well and this gave me the encouragement to pursue my dreams of creating an organization that focuses on developing athlete on and off the field. The experience of attending a major institution and playing college football is a life changing experience that I want other H.S players to experience.”

Strong participated in the 2012 NFL Regional Combine and was eventually invited to The NFL Super Regional Combine where he would go on and showcase his talents in from of all 32 teams.

In 2012 Alan spend his draft day at the hospital with his mom who was battling liver cancer. A few days later, Alan mom passed. This devastated Strong, and this would set forth the motivation he needed to help players reach their dreams, just as his mom had helped him.

“I was in denial about my mom drug use for a long time.  I realized it was time for me to hang up my cleats and help athletes reach their goals. I felt like I was being selfish by not sharing my knowledge on how to reach your goals although you may face extreme circumstances.

“My only focus was to get to the NFL so that I could have the money to send my mom to a rehab clinic. I know that she would be proud of my accomplishments and the fact that I was actually giving back to my community. “

Today, Strong is the Founder of Next Level Combines. His experience and passion for helping other has helped build a company that values developing leadership, life skills, and career success in hopes that athletes will choose the right path.

“I want to use the same efforts my mom used to help me reach my dreams of playing SEC football, to help other athletes reach their goal of getting a great education and playing the game they love.  Alan has a passion for coaching athletes in hopes that players will accomplish career success long after their athletic career has ended.