JACKSONVILLE – It’s the time of year when college students get to unwind from the stress of college and veg out and have fun in spots like Miami, Panama City, South Padre Island, Cancun and the like. Most want to get away from what they have been doing, especially football players.
I remember the grind like it was yesterday, and I once calculated maybe four to six weeks, total, time off, not consecutively, per year as a student athlete. I went to Johannesburg twice in college, but, hey, I had gone through mat drills, so I needed that break.
Over the course of the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure to help develop college athletes at my facility, Boost Sports Performance, and I’m seeing a trend. Spring break may mean you’re not at school, but it doesn’t stop you from grinding toward your goal: a chance to play in the NFL. And it doesn’t hurt that the facility is located about 20 minutes from the beach.
RELATED: Auburn’s Kam Martin, Will Hastings can produce if given opportunities
“I heard somebody say I have a third-round grade and I know I’m better than that,” Auburn cornerback Javaris Davis said when asked what motivated his decision to come home and train instead of relaxing during spring break.
Davis once was clocked in 4.18 seconds in the 40 at Auburn.
He has lofty goals but that’s the mindset that young athletes must have if they are going to play at a high level at the top schools. He’s had some accolades, including being named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team in 2016 by the league’s coaches, and his 2017 season was good. But Davis has bigger expectations. This spring, his focus is to set the foundation to have a truly breakout season, and to get that done, he can’t have any breaks.
“You have to an honest one-on-one conversation with yourself about if you really are serious about what you want to accomplish,” he said. “If it’s not just talk, it’s something you have to put the effort toward.”
Davis is looking forward to getting the most out of Auburn’s spring practices, but he loves getting an opportunity to work on his personal goals – he wants to get faster – during his short time away from the team, whether it’s doing extra drills or working on his overall technique so that he can one day break the NFL Scouting Combine’s 40-yard dash record. The main thing is to get Auburn back to the SEC championship game – and win it this time.
“I know what goals I have set for myself and the only way I can achieve them is by work,” he said. “So that’s why I decide not to go to Miami for spring break but come home and just train.”
Who says millennials are short-sighted?
Article Originally Appeared on Gridiron Now: http://gridironnow.com/javaris-davis-auburn-train-spring-break/
