Beyond The Helmet

Jack Heflin, NFL Draft Prospect/former Iowa Hawkeye, talks about his Path to the Draft. On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect, Jack Heflin.

The Iowa defensive line this year was stacked. Jack Heflin was a grad transfer in 2020 who immediately stepped in as a starter alongside the likes of Daviyon Nixon and Chauncey Golston. His standout performance this year earned him a trip to the Hula Bowl after being an All-MAC player in 2019.

Jack cut his teeth at Northern Illinois after walking on to the team. He earned a scholarship, battled through injuries and put himself in the position now to be looking to the NFL Draft. Listen to Heflin’s story on what it took to get this far and what his season at Iowa was like.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect, D’Ante Smith.

Get to know the best NFL Draft Prospect on the O-Line that you likely never hear about (until recently). Despite not playing for the vast majority of his senior year - he was invited to the Senior Bowl. While he only practiced for 2 days in Mobile, the impression he left on scouts was potent. D’Ante Smith looks to have a long career ahead of him.

Smith took a break from consistently winning one-on-one matchups and tossing defenders around to talk about his road to get here. D’Ante opened up about his faith, the obstacles he’s overcome and how he stayed the course as he prepares for his pro day later this month. Jump on his bandwagon now as it leaves ECU and heads to the NFL.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former NFL linebacker, Akin Ayodele.

Akin spent nearly a decade playing linebacker - the vast majority with the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Dolphins. In our conversation, we discuss his observations on what it takes to succeed. Akin’s career trajectory took shape with a deep appreciation for life as he lost a best friend in a car accident in high school. Sports provided a pathway to college where he was able to capitalize. 

Ayodele (pronounced like Adele for those wondering) became an all conference player at DE and Linebacker. His versatility propelled him to the NFL where he tallied 100+ tackle seasons like clockwork. We go deep on what the best coaches, players and teams do while also exploring how to take the lessons from sports to apply them to other places in life.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined again by former NFL player / Entrepreneur, Coach, Speaker and Author, Marques Ogden.

Marques Ogden came on the podcast originally in December 2019 prior to his book, The Success Cycle. He now returns 14 months later to discuss the journey since then and what he is focusing on now. He discusses his PIVOT program (link below) but also how he actually pivoted during the pandemic to have growth and success in 2020.

PIVOT Program
https://learn.elevate.ac/courses/marques-ogden?ref=bda269

We picked up where we left off as Marques provides great tips for success by breaking down his own journey. Marques also talked about what he listens to, reads and how he sets his own goals.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect, Tay Gowan, from UCF.

Tay is the first guest on the show to make the decision to opt of his 2021 season due to COVID - you can imagine this was a big topic of discussion. This decision came off of his breakout season in 2020 where he emerged as a top cornerback in football at UCF. A health decision had to be made to preserve a business future.

Gown’s road to this point was anything but a straight line. After only one year of high school football, he earned a scholarship to the University of Miami (Ohio). After a stop there, he transferred to Butler to reboot the interest from collegiate teams which led him to UCF. Since Tay has not played since 2020, not many pundits are giving him the hype right now - but jump on his bandwagon now before he becomes a household name.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect, Robert 'Scoota' Rochell.

Scoota came on the podcast leading up to the Reese's Senior Bowl which just concluded in late January. He had earned his invite to the premiere All-Star game after standing out as a shutdown corner for UCA (Central Arkansas). Robert is a small school prospect who much like Jeremy China and Kyle Dugger of last year's draft class, will be the subject of debate on if he can compete against bigger school prospects.

Rochell embraces the pressure of being the small school prospect. He stated he is ready to show up for all small school prospects as he works to win over scouts. At 6'2", 200 pounds with a ton of speed, suffice to say there will be a lot of intrigue around the soft-spoken Rochell throughout the process leading up to the NFL Draft. Jump on his bandwagon now before he becomes a household name.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect, Payton Turner.

Payton came on the podcast leading up to the Reese's Senior Bowl which just concluded in late January. He had earned his invite to the premiere All-Star game after standing out over the past 2 years as he masterfully navigated changing his position from defensive tackle to defensive end at University of Houston.

Payton is a hometown kid who didn't go far to pursue his NFL career at U of H. As a muti-sport athlete growing up, he brought size and athleticism to a defense that saw a multiple head coaches in his collegiate career. Turner was able to navigate scheme changes and position changes by applying his athleticism and a relentless work ethic which should pay him dividends in the NFL.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL 2021 Draft Prospect and UAB Standout, Jordan Smith.

Jordan came on the podcast leading up to the Reese's Senior Bowl which just concluded over the weekend. He had earned his invite to the premiere All-Star game after a big year at UAB ending his 2 year stint there as a standout performer

Smith came to UAB via the JUCO program Butler. He actually was 4 star recruit out of high school who battled through some growing pains at Florida before he transferred to Butler. His road to the NFL hasn't been as easy as others, but that is why he brings a different level of maturity than most student-athletes his age. 

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former NFL Running Back, Vick Ballard.

Today, Vick is an engineering student with everything in front of him. However, Vick Ballard is likely most known for his rookie year (2012) when he tore it up for the Colts. Everything was going great as the Andrew Luck Era began. Then early in his second year he suffered a season ending injury. Vick battled back from that ACL tear to tear his Achilles Tendon and miss a second year.

This conversation is about what it takes to get to the NFL and battle back from injuries. But, more importantly, is it about how to take the tools that enable someone to do that - and then win in other areas of life. Vick has turned his attention to do much more beyond football, including helping other athletes transition to life after the NFL. Vick is living proof that once you understand how to be successful, you can apply it to anything.

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Brian Michael Cooper talks through his XFL experience as President of the Houston Roughnecks. On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former President of the XFL's Houston Roughnecks, Brian Michael Cooper.

Brian oversaw the best franchise of the XFL in 2020. While COVID came and disrupted this brilliant campaign, Brian still took the time to speak about his experience and break down why he, his team and the league had so much success.

Cooper came to this position with 20+ years as a sports professional and attorney. He currently is a partner at Frost, Brown, Todd in Houston and some of his notable previous job titles include:

- Senior Associate Athletic Director at Rice University
- NBA G-League RGV Vipers President 
- Director of Sports Programming for DISH Network

In short, Brian knows what it takes to be successful. Let this podcast episode help you re-think how to approach furthering your career.

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