Skip to main content

Spadola Represents Nation, Speeds Towards Combine

When you are looking to make the NFL, every moment, and every all-star game and combine, matters.

This past week, former Lehigh star WR Ryan Spadola, who is currently looking to be one of those guys that play on Sundays, looked to make every moment of his appearance in the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star game matter.

That didn't just mean the game itself, where Ryan's stat line read 1 catch for 8 yards, a pass from Tulane QB Ryan Griffin, or the outcome, which was a 24-13 win for the (appropriately named) Nation team over Texas. 

(In a strange twist of fate, Ryan didn't wear the gold helmet of Lehigh at the game, but more on that later.)

It also meant the positive press in the run-up to the game, and the large number of scouts available to see their progress. 

In my exclusive Q&A with Ryan about his experience, I talk to him about his experience with the game, what he's been doing, and what's next for the Lehigh star.


Ryan: Although Texas vs. The Nation is an all-star game, the mentality I took going in was a business mindset. You're being analyzed not only on the practice field but how you hold/represent yourself off the field. Upon my arrival in Allen early Monday afternoon I was greeted and interviewed by many scouts.  We were told there were 240 there. This went on until the evening hours. Tuesday through Thursday was when evaluating was really done. These days we had very intense practices followed by testing (HRT, Troutwine) and meetings. Friday we had a walk through and the rest of the day off them Saturday was the game. I was extremely fortunate and blessed to be part of this game and experience everything I did.

LFN: During the game, were you wearing an Arizona helmet or an Allen helmet? What happened to the gold helmet?

Ryan: Unfortunately I was shipped the wrong size helmet from Lehigh so I had to borrow an Allen High School helmet for the week. Although I would have liked to represent by wearing the gold helmet, I was thankful of the Allen staff to provide me with the equipment so I could participate in the practices.

LFN: How has your training in Florida helped you for the all-star game and your path to the NFL combine?

Ryan: Training in Florida has helped me immensely. I have been learning from two of the NFL greats at the receiver position in Brandon Marshall and Chris Chambers. They have helped provide me tips on how to gain separation and fine tuning routes. Along with their coaching I have been able to get great speed and strength training from talented trainers, specifically Matt Gates of Fit Speed Athletic Performance @FitSpeedAP. From ther training I have become more explosive which has helped improve my game.

LFN: Did you spend time with any specific players during the four days? Anyone you're friends with, or people you've gotten to know in this whole draft process?

Ryan: Throughout the week in Allen I spent most of my free time hanging out with my roommate Minnesota QB Marquise Gray (who played TE in all star game) and another one of my agents clients, Richmond FB/RB Kendall Gaskins. Down here in Florida I train and spend most of my time with a close group of six guys: Rutgers WR Mark Harrison, South Carolina CB Akeem Augustine, West Virginia DT Jorge Wright, Tennessee State RB Trabis Carter, Fort Valley State WR Eric McCree, and Eastern Washington WR Nick Edwards.

LFN: What was the best part of the whole experience?

Ryan: The best part of the experience was Thursday when we had a meet and great with the public. There were large numbers of kids who came walking around the tables asking for autographs and pictures with the players. It was humbling to see how those kids looked up to us players.

LFN: What's next on your agenda in the run-up to the NFL combine?

Ryan: I am now back in Florida and I will be here training at Fit Speed until the day I depart for the combine on February 21.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How The Ivy League Is Able To Break the NCAA's Scholarship Limits and Still Consider Themselves FCS

By now you've seen the results.  In 2018, the Ivy League has taken the FCS by storm. Perhaps it was Penn's 30-10 defeat of Lehigh a couple of weeks ago .  Or maybe it was Princeton's 50-9 drubbing of another team that made the FCS Playoffs last year, Monmouth.  Or maybe it was Yale's shockingly dominant 35-14 win over nationally-ranked Maine last weekend. The Ivy League has gone an astounding 12-4 so far in out-of-conference play, many of those wins coming against the Patriot League. But it's not just against the Patriot League where the Ivy League has excelled.  Every Ivy League school has at least one out-of-conference victory, which is remarkable since it is only three games into their football season.  The four losses - Rhode Island over Harvard, Holy Cross over Yale, Delaware over Cornell, and Cal Poly over Brown - were either close losses that could have gone either way or expected blowouts of teams picked to be at the bottom of the Ivy League. W

Made-Up Midseason Grades for Lehigh Football

 We are now officially midway through the 2023 Lehigh football season.  The Mountain Hawks sit at 1-5 overall, and 0-1 in the Patriot League. I thought I'd go ahead and make up some midseason grades, and set some "fan goals" for the second half. The 2023 Mountain Hawks were picked to finish fifth in the seven team Patriot League.  In order to meet or exceed that expectation, they'll probably have to go at least 3-2 the rest of the way in conference play.  Their remaining games are vs. Georgetown, at Bucknell, vs. Holy Cross, at Colgate, and vs. Lafayette in The Rivalry. Can they do it? Culture Changing: B+ .  I was there in the Bronx last week after the tough 38-35 defeat to Fordham, and there wasn't a single player emerging from the locker room that looked like they didn't care.  Every face was glum.  They didn't even seem sad.  More frustrated and angry. That may seem normal, considering the agonizing way the Mountain Hawks lost, but it was a marked chan

Fifteen Guys Who Might be Lehigh's Next Football Coach (and Five More)

If you've been following my Twitter account, you might have caught some "possibilities" as Lehigh's next head football coach like Lou Holtz, Brett Favre and Bo Pelini .  The chance that any of those three guys actually are offered and accept the Lehigh head coaching position are somewhere between zero and zero.  (The full list of my Twitter "possibilities" are all on this thread on the Lehigh Sports Forum .) However the actual Lehigh head football coaching search is well underway, with real names and real possibilities. I've come up with a list of fifteen possible names, some which I've heard whispered as candidates, others which might be good fits at Lehigh for a variety of reasons. UPDATE: I have found five more names of possible head coaches that I am adding to this list below. Who are the twenty people?  Here they are, in alphabetical order.