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Many children have hopes and dreams of playing in the NFL. They aspire to make it to the highest level of play possible. They dream of playing in front of 50,000 people on a Sunday evening.  

The NFL drafts from every college division, even the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA). NAIA schools are smaller than Division I or Division II schools but comparable to a Division III-level school.  

According to Grand View head football coach, Mike Woodley, it does not matter what size school you are from. If you are good enough, they will find you. He said that the NFL does not miss out on kids. If they want you, they will get you. 

Athletes face high-level competition while trying to get into the NFL. Grand View football players are spending countless hours in the weight room and on the field trying to outshine the other athletes around them. There are hundreds of athletes coming from higher-level schools that are hoping for the same spot as the athlete right next to them. 

“The criteria they are looking for,” Woodley said, “(are) guys that can run. Speed is everything at that level. The guys are bigger, faster and stronger than what we see at this level. Do we have guys that can play at that level? There’s always going to be one or two athletes that I think could really make it.” 

In Coach Woodley’s 11 years of coaching, he has only had four players that have made it close to the NFL. He has had a couple of athletes who were close and have maybe made it to the combine but not quite to the NFL. The NFL combine is a week-long showcase that occurs once a year; it is where players perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL coaches, managers and scouts. 

“It’s really hard to make,” Woodley said. “But now there are more football leagues. There are leagues that these players are able to play at after college that allows them to keep playing, even though it’s not the NFL.”  

D.J. Loving, a senior football player at GV, also currently plays for the Iowa Barnstormers team. The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor football team based in Des Moines. They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa Barnstormers athletes can make anywhere from $45,000 to $50,000 per season.  

Some GV football players might not meet the criteria to play in the NFL but would still be able to play football after college. For some players, that is what they want. They know that they aren’t quite good enough for “the league” but are good enough to keep playing. 

For players who don’t want to keep playing but still want to be involved, there are other ways to do so. Terry Johnson, senior football player at GV, said he will continue being involved with football by coaching at GV this coming fall. Other ways to continue being involved would be by going to games, and being supportive of your favorite teams. 

“I’m excited about coaching because I’ve been playing my whole life, and this is a whole different part of the game,” Johnson said. “Even though I’m done playing, it will keep me on scholarship and pay for my schooling.”  

Johnson said that the friendships made are lifelong. It’s no wonder why players would want to continue on with the sport. 

“If your heart is in the right place,” Woodley said, “it might be able to help you overcome some obstacles, but you have to be a grinder. You just (have to) keep digging. If someone tells you ‘no’ here or there, you have to believe in yourself and just keep working.”