Private trainers give HS players an edge toward Division I

By S. Thomas Coleman

For the AJC

Wesleyan senior David Andrews entered ninth grade as what he calls a “six-foot, 220-pound pudge ball,” who thought he was ready to make his mark in the rough and tumble trenches of high school football in Georgia.

“I sort of dominated in the youth league, so I thought I would go into high school, be a four-year starter and get a Division I scholarship,” Andrews said. “But I found out that I wasn’t nearly strong enough or fast enough. It was an eye opener.”

Andrews thought his dream of playing big-time college football was over after his freshman season, where he didn’t get a sniff of playing time on the varsity. But things changed after an off season spent working with strength trainer Ryan Goldin.

Three years later, Andrews, now a sculpted 6-3, 290-pounder, is widely considered one of the state’s top offensive linemen. He has countless Division I scholarship offers – including the one he has accepted from UGA – to prove it. He credits Goldin with making the difference.

Andrews is not alone these days when it comes to high school football players, and their parents, who have made the decision to devote the extra time – and money – toward working with trainers as a supplement to the many “voluntary” team weight training and conditioning workouts at their schools.

Indeed, football has become a year-round activity at many schools. Sometimes, off-season workouts begin as early as before the holiday break in December. Then there is two weeks of official spring practice and more voluntary team workouts, camps and seven-on-seven tournaments during the summer. Still, more and more players are putting in even more work with trainers, with the ultimate prize being a college football scholarship, preferably on the Division I level.

You can count Andrews’ father, Jeff, as a believer in working with a trainer on the side.

“I can tell you that without question, David would not be where he is today, with a scholarship offer from Georgia, without Ryan,” Jeff Andrews said. “There is no doubt in my mind about it.

“There are some kids who wake up in the morning and they are already Division I [caliber] athletes,” he said. “Some are blessed with a great natural build or with speed. But most others have to work at it.”

Mt. Zion-Jonesboro senior running back/defensive back Josh King, like Andrews, doesn’t mind putting in the extra work. In fact, after spending one sweltering Saturday last month at a camp at Jacksonville State, King was front and center the next day – despite the 90-plus degree heat – at his weekly date with trainer Anthony Mitchell, who spent eight seasons in the NFL.

“It makes me better,” said the 5-10, 180-pound King, who left Jacksonville State with a scholarship offer, the second he’s picked up this summer (Georgia Southern). He has been working with Mitchell for more than a year.

“I can tell the difference between me and some of the guys I’ve gone against at the camps,” said King, who is also being recruited by Vanderbilt and Delaware, among a handful of other schools. “[Working with Mitchell] gives me an edge, and I want to make sure that there isn’t anyone out there working harder than me.”

Like Jeff Andrews, James King is another father who is a fan of working with a trainer. King said the positives are more than just his son’s physical development.

“His footwork, his ability to read routes and quarterback tendencies, all of that has improved so much because of his work with Mitch,” James King said. “All of that has raised his confidence level. Now he’s not out there thinking. He’s playing fast and it shows.”

Mitchell, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a reserve defensive back and special teams player for the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, said working with a trainer is almost a necessity for high school athletes hoping to take their game to the next level.

“You have some great high school coaches out there, but there are still some that don’t know the proper techniques and things that can give players that extra edge,” said Mitchell, who worked with Falcons receiver Harry Douglas during his days at Jonesboro High, as well as former UGA safety Rashad Jones, a fifth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2010 NFL Draft.

“Coaches may go to a clinic to learn something or read about it in a book, and then go teach their players,” Mitchell said. “But books don’t move. That receiver is moving and you need to know how to react to that. So it’s good if you can get that knowledge from someone who’s done it.”

Goldin, owner of Goldin Athletic Training Association, LLC, says trainers have to put their egos aside when working with an athlete.

“I don’t have a team. The kids I work with are playing for their school and the coach at that school,” said Goldin, who has worked with the likes of UGA offensive tackle Clint Boling, and former UGA linebacker Rennie Curran, a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans. “I think I’m the best at what I do. But you have to make sure you don’t step on any toes and be a complement to what a kid’s high school program is doing.”

Westlake head coach Greg Minnis has several players who work with outside trainers, including senior defensive back Ronnie Harris Jr., who has more than a dozen Division I offers, juniors Quinteze Williams and Charles Purnell and sophomore center DeAndre Wise. Minnis said working with a trainer can be greatly beneficial, as long as the coach and trainer are on the same page.

However, South Gwinnett head coach John Small said he and his staff are fully capable of imparting all of the football knowledge, as well as the physical training, that their players need.

“We don’t discourage it, but those outside trainers and things can be expensive,” said Small, who noted that his quarterback, senior Kent Rollins, is one of the most coveted recruits at that position in the state. “We have a great strength program, we work on all facets of the game, and we think we provide our student athletes with a great opportunity to get better – not only as a football player, but as a total person. And they don’t have to pay.”

Jeff Andrews, David Andrews’ father, admits that paying for a trainer can be costly, with fees that can range from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand.

“Every day I take a moment to thank God that we’re in a situation to be able to do this for David,” Jeff Andrews said. “We’re richly blessed.”

But there are a great number of athletes who don’t see the need for an outside trainer. Count two of the state’s best, Charlton County quarterback/defensive back Chris Milton and Tucker linebacker Justin Garrett, among that crowd.

“Most of our coaches played Division I football and they structure our workouts that way,” said Milton, who has offers from nearly 20 Division I schools. “They give us all we need.”

“I put in the extra work on my own,” said Garrett, who recently committed to Auburn. “I lift weights at home or at [a local gym] and I run on my own on the side. I don’t think there’s anyone out there working harder than me.”

Still, there are those who swear by their trainers. Westlake's Williams, a 6-5, 270-pound defensive/offensive lineman, says John Lewis Jr., owner of Energy Fitness of America, is the reason he already has more than a half-dozen Division I offers from the likes of UGA, Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss and Kentucky.

Williams began working with Lewis, the older brother of NFL running back Jamal Lewis, when Williams was a 5-10, 160-pound 11-year old who, as Lewis puts it, “could barely walk.”

“I think, eventually, I would have become a good player, but I wouldn’t be anywhere near the player I am without Coach John,” Williams says. “He keeps pushing me and I keep pushing myself to get better.”

Lewis said working with a trainer is almost essential for those high school athletes hoping to earn a college scholarship. Williams’ teammate, Harris Jr., is also on Lewis’ roster of athletes.

“You have to make sure you’re with [a trainer] who knows what they’re doing and has a track record,” said Lewis, who has worked with hundreds of professional, college and high school players, including Washington Redskins running back James Davis, San Diego Charger offensive tackle Marcus McNeill, as well as Tennessee freshman running back Rajion Neal and UGA freshman quarterback Hutson Mason.

“But you have to put in that extra work with a trainer if you want to reach your full potential and beyond,” Lewis said. “If you want your child to score really well on the SAT or the ACT, you find a course or a good tutor who specializes in SAT or ACT prep work. What I do is essentially the same thing, except it’s for their athletic development.”