Spring Forward

JT Barrett is a born and raised North Texas native who is best known for his illustrious career as the quarterback at Ohio State where he was a 3x First Team All-Big Ten selection, 2015 National Champion, and went 4-0 against the school's biggest rival. He’s at TSL2020 in San Antonio now where he's the starting QB for the 1-1 Alphas heading into their game on Tuesday, 11/10, against the Jousters. Watch the game at 8 ET on FS1.

Tyson Graham Jr's football journey has taken him from Miami to South Dakota; from the NFL to the AAF to the XFL to the Spring League. It's an unconventional route but the prototypical safety is athletic, can play multiple positions, and has the work ethic to make it to the top of the football mountaintop. He's hoping his second trip to The Spring League, where he's a member of the Conquerors, will be the last piece of the puzzle.

Darion Clark is the second former D1 basketball player to pass through the ranks of The Spring League in an effort to switch sports. Both of those players have been able to find NFL homes. In this episode, we'll focus on Darion's story which starts at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy to three stops at the highest levels of college basketball (Charlotte, USC, and Grand Canyon) to the highest level of professional football with the Chicago Bears. Darion joins us from Bears training camp in Chicago.

Since 2016, Dr. Paul S. Auerbach has been writing about a theory of his that eliminating down linemen would reduce long term brain injuries to the athletes in the trenches. In 2018, The Spring League gave Dr. Auerbach of Stanford University and a team of collaborators from Purdue University the perfect testing grounds of professional level football talent: The Spring League Showcase San Diego. In April 2020, the results of that pilot study were released and confirmed much of Auerbach's ideas. Listen to this episode of Spring Forward to hear about the test's results, how it was executed with the players, and what this information could mean for the game. TSL Showcase Denver application: https://bit.ly/2nNvy1x Brain study: https://bit.ly/3d7L1yw

Happy Easter! One of The Spring League’s quarterbacks from The Spring League Showcase Atlanta 2019 and the the Japan in Dallas and Las Vegas this year, is working on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic in his hometown of New Orleans. Of course, we will mostly talk football with quarterback James Tabary but we wanted to make sure to especially highlight the brave work that he is doing on a daily basis while continuing to train and achieve his pro football dreams. Stay safe. Stay home.

From Dallas to Las Vegas, Zach Mettenberger is kicking off 2020 with The Spring League as its marquee player for the first camps of the year. The former LSU and Tennessee Titans starting signal caller, Mettenberger led The Spring League to a 36-16 victory over Japan, the first external opponent in The Spring League history. In this episode of Spring Forward, Mettenberger discusses his football journey - one that has seen him participate in The Spring League in 2018 and 2020.

The first game of the XFL season will showcase the Seattle Dragons visiting the DC Defenders. Earlier this week, we talked to Defenders Punter, Hunter Niswander, so in this episode we talked with WR Dontez Byrd - a Louisville-native who played at his hometown school and Tennessee Tech before spending time with the Atlanta Falcons. Byrd was a stand out at The Spring League Showcase Orange County II in 2019 and signed with the Seattle Dragons in January 2020. Buy tickets for The Spring League vs. Japan in Frisco, TX on 3/1 here: http://bit.ly/31z28UT

The XFL kicks off its inaugural season the weekend after the Super Bowl so we called up one of the most successful specialists in Spring League history, Hunter Niswander, who now makes his living with the DC Defenders. Niswander, a Northwestern alum and Ohio-native, makes up a trio of specialists on the Defenders who all attended The Spring League. Hunter is the first punter to be featured on Spring Forward. Enjoy!

The CFL's Calgary Stampeders are fresh off of a playoff clinching win with a defense that features three former Spring League players: DB DaShaun Amos, DB Raheem Wilson, and LB Nate Holley. All three players were in attendance at The Spring League 2018 in Austin. The Stampeders have two more regular season games left before the playoffs begin and, should they reach the Grey Cup final, would be playing on home soil as the championship will be played in Calgary this year. Amos, Wilson, and Holley highlight the first ever mutli-guest episode of Spring Forward! Apply for The Spring League Showcase in Miami here: http://bit.ly/2nNvy1x

QB Bryan Scott was the surprise success story of The Spring League Austin in 2018. In a camp where all eyes were focused on another high profile QB, the former Occidental College signal caller set a Spring League record with three NFL invites in a single offseason. Scott returns to The Spring League at TSL Showcase Orange County in his own backyard and he looks to remain sharp and prove he's much more than a small school quarterback but one with a long professional career ahead of him. Apply for The Spring League Showcase in San Diego here: http://bit.ly/2VyBxGZ

Marcus Peterson is a 3x Spring League attendee. His road to professional football player has been longer than most. From untraditional high school football at a small Catholic School in Los Angeles to a D-II college career in Western Pennsylvania, Peterson defied the odds to get his first taste of the NFL in the 2018 preseason with the Chargers. His significant daily improvement has The Spring League front office excited about his potential and it's only a matter of time before the wideout gets his next pro opportunity. Marcus strives to be an inspiration on and off the field - a lifestyle backed up by his British MBA, modeling career, and motivational clothing line.

Lorenzo Mauldin is a graduate of the University of Louisville and is a 2015 third round NFL Draft pick of the New York Jets. He's got 6.5 NFL sacks to his name but his career in New York was derailed by injuries in his third season and he’s now at The Spring League to show teams he’s back to full health and ready to rejoin the ranks of the NFL. Mauldin will be the center piece of the Austin Generals - one of four teams at The Spring League. Tickets to doubleheaders on April 6th and April 11th are on sale now and can be found here: http://bit.ly/2ukEM5B

Blake Jackson is the epitome of The Spring League. The former D1 recruit at Mizzou turned D1 preferred walk-on at Southeastern Missouri State turned D3 National Championship Winning Quarterback turned pro slot receiver is now entering his second season with the NFL's hottest team, the Cleveland Browns. Jackson used The Spring League Showcase in San Diego in 2018 to continue to hone his craft as a receiver after going through training camp with the Calgary Stampeders in Canada. After TSL Showcase he was signed by the Browns and though he got let go after training camp, he was brought back in the middle of the season and made his NFL debut in Week 17!

The Spring League 2019 in Austin will be the first of its kind to have an official partnership with a professional football league, The XFL. Re-launching in 2020, the XFL represents another opportunity for The Spring League players to achieve their dreams of playing football on the professional level. Senior Vice President of Football Operations and former GM of the Buffalo Bills, Doug Whaley, joins the Spring Forward podcast for the first episode of Season 2, with just over a week to go before The Spring League 2019 gets underway in Texas to discuss his football past, his new league, and the XFL x Spring League partnership.

In late November, The Spring League will be integrated into its first ever video game when "practice mode" of Maximum Football 2018 is rebranded. In today's Spring Forward podcast we talk to the creator of that game, David Winter. Winter is a game developer but also a huge football fan - especially of the Canadian game - where many Spring League players find a home to continue their professional careers.

Griff Whalen isn't your typical NFL prospect who participates in The Spring League. By the time he took part in the 2017 Showcase in Napa, Griff had five NFL seasons under his belt and he was looking to replicate the OTA experience he would have had if he were signed to a team in the middle of the summer. Staying fresh paid off as he signed with Baltimore less than a week after the Showcase game in 2017. Now, he's in camp with the Oakland Raiders!

A new football league called the Alliance of American Football will begin its inaugural season in February 2019 and presents a new opportunity for elite football players - many of whom have participated or will participate in The Spring League - to continue their professional football careers. On this episode of Spring Forward, the GM for the Salt Lake City franchise of the AAF, joins the podcast to talk about the new league, his team, and his three decades in NFL front offices which includes the 2000 Executive of the Year Award while he was the GM of the New Orleans Saints.

The Spring League just wrapped up The Spring League Showcase in San Diego and the first player to featured on the Spring Forward podcast from there is QB Austin Appleby. Austin has taken snaps for two major college football programs in Purdue and Florida and is trying to continue living his dream of playing professional football. The signal caller is an amazingly prepared quarterback and he shows that on the newest episode of Spring Forward.

On today’s episode we’re featuring our first guest who is not a player or front office employee of the Spring League. Dr Sam Browd is a ridiculously accomplished neurosurgeon and neurologic researcher. He’s also the co-founder of VICIS - the company that makes the official helmet of The Spring League. Dr. Browd explains complicated medical matters in very easy terms and he's a huge football fan on top of it!

Episode 17 of the Spring Forward podcast features The Spring CEO, Brian Woods, talking about the League's upcoming Showcase in San Diego and an interview with Hamilton TigerCats DL Lynden Trail.

Episode 16 features an interview with defensive end, Karter Schult. Schult is a University of Northern Iowa alumni who recently signed with the Carolina Panthers. He was invited to two NFL minicamps after The Spring League in Austin and spent time with the Cleveland Browns last year. Take a listen to hear his story!

There's lots of good news coming The Spring League's way. Many players who were with the League in Austin are getting NFL training camp invites in the hopes of sticking. One of those players in TE Paul Butler who took a long and unconventional road to The Spring League. He was rewarded with a minicamp invite from the Oakland Raiders and last week signed his first NFL deal!

It's rookie minicamp season and quite a few Spring League players are getting invites from NFL clubs. One of those players is WR Matrick Belton out of South Carolina. In this episode of Spring Forward, find out why a receiver who only caught 11 balls in his college career is about to get a chance to play for the defending Super Bowl Champs.

In Spring Forward's lucky number episode 13, we talk to DE Aaron Adeoye who is in just his second year of making the transition from D1 college basketball player to professional football player. When he's not training and continuing to learn the game of football, he's an in-school youth mentor and a co-founder of the Honorable Young Men Club. Link to The Spring League Showcase instructions: http://bit.ly/2Ha2WZf

In Spring Forward's first episode since the completion of The Spring League in Austin, Josh Gable joins the podcast. Gable is a former professional soccer player who has been trying for the last year to make the NFL as a kicker. He has participated in two arena football seasons, two Spring League seasons, and has had tryouts with a number of NFL teams already in the one year since he switched sports. Hear his story and what the transition from the beautiful game to America's game has been like. 

Our time in Austin is winding down but it wouldn't be right if we didn't catch up with Coach Terry Shea before we go. Coach Shea has been in football at some level either playing or coaching every year with no interruption since 1960. His 50+ years of coaching experience include two years of assembling the coaching staff at The Spring League. The QB guru, sits down with Spring Forward on Episode 11 to talk all things coaching, developmental football, and his history in the sport. Tickets for The Spring League games can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/2F1GL3h

Episode 10 of Spring Forward was recorded live at The Spring League with Safety Michael Egwuagu - an Austin native, UTSA alum, and NFL hopeful. He's been dubbed by this podcast as The Most Interesting Man at The Spring League. You'll have to take a listen to hear why! Tickets for The Spring League games can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/2F1GL3h

We're taking advantage of our time in Austin and cranking out the episodes. On today's episode we sit down with veteran NFL WR Joe Anderson who might be best known for standing outside the Texans facility with a sign trying to get noticed by the team after stints with the Bears and Eagles...and it worked. We also talk about his drive, where he's from in Texas, and why his age (29) doesn't matter as he tries to get back into professional football at The Spring League. Tickets for The Spring League games can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/2F1GL3h

It's officially Spring! Episode 8 is the first of many recorded in Austin, Texas from the home of the Spring League. In this episode we talk to Team West QB Austin Apodaca (Washington State/New Mexico) about his journeyman college career, his pride in being a Colorado native, and what it's like to be a part of The Spring League now that the season in underway. Tickets for The Spring League games can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/2F1GL3h

Episode 7 of Spring Forward features a discussion with Marvin Bracy - a former Olympic sprinter representing the United States and Florida State alum. He's playing at The Spring League in Austin to keep his football dream alive, after achieving his Olympic one. In his interview, Marvin discusses the differences between the two sports he stars in, if anyone in The Spring League can beat him in a foot race, and his impending fatherhood.

In Episode 6, CB Nate Harris describes his wild journey from playing college football while homeless to the footsteps of the NFL, how he stays motivated despite the hardships, and a bold NBA finals prediction. Spoiler alert: He's from Akron, OH

In Episode 5, Spring Forward records live from Atlanta with former Jets and Panthers Wide Receiver, Stephen Hill. That Atlanta-area native took us through his football career step by step, talked about his early success as a sprinter, returning to the football field with The Spring League, and more!

In Episode 4, Spring Forward features an interview with former Clemson Safety, Jadar Johnson, who will be playing in The Spring League 2018 in Austin. After walking away from football, three days into his first NFL training camp with the Giants, Johnson is ready to return to the game. In this podcast he talks about his struggles with mental health, his readiness to return to football, and his Clemson Tigers.

In Episode 3, Spring Forward features an interview with former Baltimore Ravens RB Lorenzo Taliaferro who is currently preparing to play in The Spring League 2018 in Austin, Texas. In the episode, Taliaferro discusses the business of the NFL, overcoming obstacles, life after football, and his thoughts on running backs going #1 overall in the draft.

The Spring Forward podcast will focus on the inspirational stories behind the players, coaches, staff, and partners of The Spring League, an elite developmental league and scouting event for professional football talent. In Episode 2, Spring Forward features an interview with former University of Minnesota QB Mitch Leidner who will be playing in the Spring League 2018 in Austin.

The Spring Forward podcast will focus on the inspirational stories behind the players, coaches, staff, and partners of The Spring League, an elite developmental league and scouting event for professional football talent. In Episode 1, Spring Forward features an interview with The Spring League CEO, Brian Woods. Brian talks to the pod about his background in professional sports and football, why he's so passionate about the development of professional football talent, and what we can look forward to in The Spring League's second season. Spring Forward is hosted by Alex Goldstick.