Charlotte, NC-after Colin Granger on March 4, 19 points for Coastal Carolina in the first round against Southern Miss in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, he returned to the Hotel in Pensacola, Florida, to eat with his parents and to discuss his future.
In football.
Granger had announced Chanticleer's coach Justin Gray that it would be his sign that he would continue his basketball career overseas, where he had several offers from professional teams.
If not, Granger would be the first customer of George Fant, the 10-year-old NFL veteran who founded a company in which he identified and trained college basketball players, from which he believes that he can make the leap into the NFL-a transitional fantic that was manufactured in 2016 after leaving Western Kentucky.
When the chants bounced up in the opening round in Pensacola, Granger spoke to his parents before called Fant and told him he was on board. A month later, Granger worked for five NFL teams on a private professional day in his high school in the Atlanta region. And three days after this training, Granger signed the Carolina Panthers as close ending in one of the more non -traditional transactions in their history.
Since Granger did not play in college and at least four NFL playing times have been completed since his Abitur in 2020, he was used for the draft last year. This meant that the Panthers or team could sign it as Free Agent this year.
Shortly after he had concluded his contract with the Panthers on Monday, at Granger at the Cafeteria in the Bank of America Stadium with three Rand-Rushers at her visits to the design shemar Stewart from Texas A&M, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Lsus Bradyn Swinson from LSU. Granger told the group that he had just joined an NFL team, although he hadn't played football since the eighth grade.
“I attempted to inform them the story they usually literally laughed at my face,” said Granger. “You said, 'Age, come. Anyway, brother, just tell us what you really do?' “”
What Granger tries is to follow one in all several top-class narrow ends of one in all FANT and other former college basketball players, who developed successful NFL careers. Fant believes that Granger could make a reputation in a Panthers Tight -end -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End -End area, Ja'tavion Sanders and Jordan Matthews at the highest of the deep card.
“Don't be surprised when we see Colin out there early and often,” said Fant.
Tony Gonzalez (Cal), Antonio Gates (Kent State), Jimmy Graham (Miami) and Mo Alie-Cox (VCU) received all of the festivals after playing in College Hoops. Gonzalez and Gates were each Hall of Famers. Gates and Alie-Cox-Wie Granger-played no college football.
The 6-foot 8, 240-pound granger played football and lacrosse as much as the eighth grade when he fitted to the primary time for his middle school basketball team. Granger had his first basketball scholarship from Mount St. Mary's inside eight months.
“In my first high school year I had just stopped playing football. The Cheff football coach called me out of class every day and he wanted me to play football,” said Granger on Monday during a telephone interview.
But other than the occasional commentary on what he could appear to be in pads and a helmet, Granger had quite forgotten football when he worked in three schools through five basketball times -Ohio University, Western Carolina and Coastal Carolina (he achieved a median of seven.2 points, 4,4 rebounds, including 2.0 offensive rebound).
And then he got a DM from FANT who explained his background and said he was on the lookout for basketball players with College Basketball players who projected as NFL.
“I saw that it was a real report that it was a real NFL player,” recalled Granger. “But I said what? Change sports? I'm trying to beat the damn NC State tomorrow. I'm not worried about it.”
George Fant, the second from the fitting, and his team worked with Colin Granger for several weeks before signing the Carolina Panthers. (With the sort permission of George Fant)
Fant, who played sparingly in his only football season in Western Kentucky, founded his Niche Headhunter business along with his trainer and agent. Fant went through a web based database of all basketball players of Division I, scanned their heights, weights and statistics and paid special attention to offensive rebounds. When he found boys he liked, he searched for YouTube videos and saw whether their sportiness could play within the NFL.
“I just saw how Colin played a kind of the canvas for me. (At first) I thought he could be a guy who could play an offensive line like a type of Lane Johnson,” said Fant, an offensive tackle with free agents with nine years of experience. “As soon as I brought him to Kentucky and walked around him, I knew immediately that he was a short end.”
After the lack of the Sun Belt tournament, Granger returned to Coastal campus to pack his things, spent a couple of days in the home of his parents in Florida after which went to Fant's house in Bowling Green, Ky.
“He went out in his entrance and met me,” said Granger, “and I moved to his guest room.”
The two spent 2 1/2 weeks in Fant's Home Fitness studio, while Fant and his agent Jeffery Whitney organized knowledgeable day for April 4th. Between the sets on the bench or during breaks in speed training, Fant would give a player who had not been on a soccer field for nearly 10 years.
“He immediately bought and was the guy that you didn't have to tell something twice,” said Fant. “As soon as they could show him it, he took it and learned it immediately and got better.”
Justin Gray, Granger's coach at Western Carolina and Coastal, predicted that Granger's work morality in Kentucky can be well received.
“I guarantee them as soon as he arrived there and saw how hard he works and how committed he is and how disciplined he is.
“He plays as hard as possible. He is an excellent offensive rebounder, defensive rebounder. The ball is within the air, it comes from it. He is tough as nails. He eats nails for breakfast. He will not be soft, nothing is soft. And then it’s competitive.”
A competitive attitude is great, but Granger still had to show scouts his physical properties. The Panthers' concentration of Pro Scout Adam Maxie and Four other teams last Friday came to Lambert High in Suwanee, Georgia, where Granger ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and achieved a 40-inch vertical jump, he and Fant.
Granger, who was caught in training from the former quarterback of the state of Georgia Passen, was enthusiastic about his vertical jump, but thought that he would run a faster 40.
“My 10-yard split, my 20 yard split during training, I did 4.7 numbers,” he said. “I only trained for 3 weeks. My trainer told me: 'Age, if I only have you ever for 3 weeks, you’re a 4.6 type.' I'm fast.
Granger made only seven repetitions on the Pro Bank (225 kilos), but this chalept the difference in strength training within the two sports. “I have muscles and can put it on there,” he said. “But such an Olympic elevator, we don't really have all the time.”
Fant was satisfied with how things went. “I think the craziest part of this whole thing is that we only had 2 1/2 weeks to train it,” he said. “My trainer Jacob Davis was able to get him into his hands and do the impossible and prepare him for a professional day in two weeks.”
Granger was to participate within the local day of Atlanta Falcons this week. Instead, he’s under contract along with her divisions rivals, partly because of Fant's connections to Carolina General DAN Morgan, coach Dave Canales and Tight -St -Trainer Pat McPherson from her time together in Seattle, where FANT 2016 signed as a non -dragged free agent and began 10 games as a rookie.
Fant said he appreciates the Panthers' who gives Granger a probability and expects him to make the perfect of it. “He is a big guy and he can high quality,” said Fant. “He can really catch the ball, really, of course.”
Gray, a native Charlotte who played in Wake Forest from 2002 to 2006, believes that Granger's basketball skill might be transferred to the grid.
“Don't get me wrong, I train basketball. So I would take the ball in the air, he will climb and get it at the highest point. He did it for us. He was really good in rushing off.” But it’s a unique sport, man, and it would take a adjustment phase. But I do know along with his discipline and its durability, it would be superb. “
Granger, who met Chuba Hubbard on Monday, while he made up for equipment, said the greatest adjustments will learn an NFL game book and get used to physicality.
“I stay up for being hit. I loved beating people in football. It is an adult man league. I do know that it would hurt a bit of more now. But guess what, I'm big now and I'm just getting larger,” he said. “I just need to exit and let someone bang or pop, placed on my ass and just immerse yourself in the sport. Get this primary goal out of the way in which and I feel I might be superb.”
image credit : www.nytimes.com