Path to the Draft with Phoenix Sproles

Phoenix Sproles, wide receiver and 2024 NFL Draft prospect, has discussed his football journey from childhood to his path to the pros.

Sproles found out how natural the sport came to him in third grade.

Sproles shared, “As soon as I scored my first touchdown, I was like, this… this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It brought me a lot of enjoyment, and it’s a feeling you can’t really describe.”

After excelling in his sport throughout his childhood, Sproles knew that he needed to continue playing and make an impact at the high school level if he wanted to go pro. And so he did. As a freshman, Sproles had already made it to the varsity team towards the end of his freshman year.

But it wasn’t always easy.

“I ended up tearing my ACL at the end of my freshman football season going into my sophomore season,” Sproles said.

However, he was determined that this was not going to be a career-ender for him; he quickly recovered and got back to the sport he loves. In his junior year of high school was when the pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

“That’s when everything started clicking. I ended up with like 19 divisional I offers after that junior year season,” Sproles said.

Sproles went to North Dakota State that summer before his senior year to get a feel for what college football was going to be like. As his senior year concluded and college approached, Sproles shared his memory about playing for the first time at this level.

“It was crazy. Everyone was bigger, faster, stronger… and I ended up playing as a true freshman,” Sproles said. “I made a big impact in camp, and coaches wanted me to play, so I played right away as an 18-year-old kid out there.”

Sophomore year was Sproles’ “big splash” year.

“I was the second-best receiver on the team,” expressed Sproles. “I won my second national championship. I had my best year ever with my five years at North Dakota State University; that was the 2019 season.”

As COVID-19 hit in 2020, it sure changed the sports industry and the athletes within.

“2020, I didn’t play that year,” said Sproles. “I got injured that year as well, so we were supposed to have a fall season like normal, but COVID happened and it got pushed back to Spring. I didn’t play the whole Spring due to an injury on my other knee.”

Once again, this did not stop Sproles as he recovered with rehab and got back out on the field.

“I came back for that fourth year, 2021, and had a good season. Played every single game. I was healthy.”

As 2022 approached, Sproles decided he wanted to come back for his fifth year as COVID gave him that season that had been pushed back.

“I ended up playing four games then I redshirted the rest of the season and sat out, so I got another year of eligibility,” said Sproles.

Sproles strategically sat this year out; he ended up choosing to go through the transfer portal.

“I hit the transfer portal because I wanted to see the highest level I could possibly go to. I went up a level and played for James Madison University this past year.”

Many athletes choosing to go through the transfer portal have a lot of emotions.

Sproles described the transfer portal, “I was excited. I’ve been consistently good for my career at NDSU, so I knew someone would reach out, I just didn’t know who or when or where. When I got into the portal, I was excited but also a little nervous as well because there’s a chance you might not get picked up. With all the rules and things going on in the portal, a lot of people get left behind.”

Sproles continued, “Got in there and the whole Division 1, FCS reached out to me where I was at with North Dakota State, but North Dakota State being the best team in the FCS, I was like I don’t want to go back to a team we probably would beat at North Dakota State.”

Other teams Sproles talked about that reached out to him were in the FBS, and other big-time teams reached out, but James Madison was what was ultimately destined for him.

“I took a visit and committed,” said Sproles. “It was a team that was once at that lower division one level with North Dakota State and moved up to the big times a year before I got there, so it kinda worked out where I got to play the highest level and play for a team that I’ve played before so it was cool and weird at the same time, but I knew it was where I wanted to be, and I knew what kind of offense they had, and I knew it would benefit me to go there.”

During his 2023 season at James Madison, he “won a lot of games” and “had a great year.”

Sproles described his most memorable moment in the sport as one that has happened this past 2023 season.

“It was JMU’s first time having a bowl game, and I scored the first touchdown, which will probably go down in history,” shared Sproles. “I scored 2 touchdowns that game, so it was cool to make an impact like that and go out on a good note for me personally showing what I could do for the last time as a senior year college receiver.”

Sproles now has been training for the 2024 NFL draft at GameFace in Boca Raton and hopes to one day make an impact for younger players in his community and work with children with disabilities to make sports more inclusive.