Get Ready for the NFL with Phoenix Sproles

As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, Phoenix Sproles, a former JMU wide receiver, prepares for his chance at the pros. Through obstacles and new unforgettable memories, Sproles shares exclusive insight into what he is up to as he trains at GameFace in Boca Raton, Florida.

Going about picking where to train is important.

“Luckily for me, GameFace started in Minnesota and they have been training me since I was 13 or 14,” Sproles said. “They came out with their NFL combine training, this being their third year, so it was an easy decision for me to figure out where I wanted to train because I wanted to be with people that I knew and trusted as an athlete.”

Describing his weekly training schedule at the moment, Sproles stated, “It’s Monday through Saturday, from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., we go high intensity Monday and Tuesday, recovery pull workout on Wednesday, high intensity on Thursday and Friday, and recovery with a little bit of core on Saturday. Tuesday and Fridays we go to the field as well for our field work.”

Each day brings something important; going into more detail about his days, Sproles shares what it is like during the different days of training.

“Throughout the week it consists of acceleration days, like our first steps of anything that we do, lateral movement days, like our 5-10-5 shuttle, our L drill, we have a top end speed day, that’s to get to our fastest velocity usually like our 40-yard dash, the field work is all based upon your position,” Sproles states. “So for me, a wide receiver we do wide receiver drills, run arounds, catch footballs and all that stuff.”

Each player has skills they are advancing upon. Sproles specifically being a wide receiver has honed on skills for his position, which he describes.

Speed is one of those skills that is highly focused on during training, “Speedwise my first ten yards of my 40, that acceleration of getting off the line with explosiveness,” noted Sproles. “I know I have good top end speed but I think the key to how I perform is my 40. Also, getting my form down so I can come out as explosive as possible.”

There are always new and surprising moments. Sproles, reflecting on his two-month training shares, “The most surprising moment so far is how hard it is, not even in training, but things outside of training like eating. Eating right and our nutrition part is what surprised me. In college, I did a good job of making sure I was making way, but now it’s a step higher. I think I take around 11 to 15 nutrition supplements a day.”

Nutrition is an essential part of training and an athlete’s diet. With each unique need to make Phoenix’s body at full nutritional potential he has been taking specific supplements to keep him in the best shape possible.

“I have omega-3 fish pills, creatine, magnesium, a.m. and p.m. performance pills that all have different minerals and vitamins that I wouldn’t get in my normal diet, vitamin D, k-2 that goes along with the vitamin D, and a probiotic as well,” explained Sproles.

To make sure he has been taking the best measures to prevent injury during his training program Sproles has taken extra care of listening to his body and maintaining it at a healthy state.

“The easiest one is sleeping,” shared Sproles. “I’m not in college anymore, I don’t have to worry about doing homework or anything like that. I get a minimum of eight hours of sleep, which I never often got in college, but now get the full eight, maybe even nine. I can tell my body feels a lot better, I feel more ready to go in the morning. Also doing little things outside with recovery we are doing within the training facility. We get soft tissue massages. As well as, I have my own tools as well so I’ll do scraping and massage.”

Other parts of training of course bring obstacles that each athlete has to overcome. Sproles shared specifically what he has experienced so far.

“The training itself can be repetitive, you are doing the same things six days a week for eight to maybe ten weeks,” explained Sproles. “It gets to be a lot, it’s tiring, it can be boring, but I know it is what I need so it gets you to where you want to go. The trainers do a great job of switching things up a little bit here and there, but it’s hard.”

Training as challenging as it can be, brings out fun and exciting experiences, Sproles found amazing bonds with those he has been training with at GameFace.

“The guys, everyone has a common goal of wanting to go pro and that’s cool to see,” noted Sproles. “There’s guys all around the United States and being cool with them that we are all here for the same reason. Seeing other guys having the same dream as you, putting in the same work, it’s easy to get behind. I’m pretty close with all of these guys now and I know we are all cheering for each other so that is probably the coolest part.”