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Ronnie Stanley’s been hitting the books almost as much as he’s been hitting the blocking sled this spring.
That’s because the Notre Dame left tackle and projected Top 10 selection—depending on which mock draft you subscribe to—made a rather unorthodox decision to stick around campus in order to finish up his degree. Most future first round picks peace out of school the second football season comes to an end, but Stanley promised his mom he would get his degree so he’s been juggling the academic demands of one of the nation’s top institutions with the demands of transforming into a NFL player.
Now with Thursday’s draft finally in sight, and the stretch run of his final semester on the horizon, Stanley took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his decision to stick it out in South Bend, his innovative endorsement deal with Zappos, and the unusual question one team asked him at the NFL Combine, among other things.
(This interview has been edited and condensed.)
I can’t imagine there are many other first round picks doing what you’re doing, or have done what you’re doing, which is staying on campus to finish your degree while others normally leave school to train for the draft. Why did you choose this untraditional route?
I always promised my mom I would get my degree. Coming back for another year, it would give me an opportunity to get that out of the way and still move on to the next chapter.
How tough of a decision was it to not leave campus after the season ended?
It was. But before the combine I set my schedule up for this semester so I only had half semester classes. So before the combine I was able to go where I wanted to train before the combine. But it’s been kind of tough being here, going to class, having to do homework. It’s kind of hard to take that serious when you’re in the final stretch.
Give me an idea of the balance and the schedule you’re dealing with.
Two classes Monday, Wednesday; one class Tuesday, Thursday and kind of just workout around the times of the my classes. Try to find some guys to workout with. Some of the guys stayed back as well so I’ve got some guys to workout with. It’s always nice to workout with your teammates.
Are you getting any help from professionals or are you just doing it with your teammates and doing it on your own?
Where I was working out pre-combine (Athletic Gaines in Las Vegas), I had a workout sheet from them and I’ve been doing my workouts off of them.
Were you advised to put your degree off to the side and concentrate on training for the NFL instead?
Honestly, there wasn’t anyone that told me to go that route. I’ve been pretty confident in what I can do. As long as I keep my workout regimen up, nobody saw it as a big deal.
How difficult has it been balancing the coursework with training?
It’s definitely been a little bit harder than I thought, especially with all the traveling. Visiting different teams and what not, I didn’t know how hectic it would be. And just keeping up the schoolwork and homework has been the hardest part.
LINK
Ronnie Stanley’s been hitting the books almost as much as he’s been hitting the blocking sled this spring.
That’s because the Notre Dame left tackle and projected Top 10 selection—depending on which mock draft you subscribe to—made a rather unorthodox decision to stick around campus in order to finish up his degree. Most future first round picks peace out of school the second football season comes to an end, but Stanley promised his mom he would get his degree so he’s been juggling the academic demands of one of the nation’s top institutions with the demands of transforming into a NFL player.
Now with Thursday’s draft finally in sight, and the stretch run of his final semester on the horizon, Stanley took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his decision to stick it out in South Bend, his innovative endorsement deal with Zappos, and the unusual question one team asked him at the NFL Combine, among other things.
(This interview has been edited and condensed.)
I can’t imagine there are many other first round picks doing what you’re doing, or have done what you’re doing, which is staying on campus to finish your degree while others normally leave school to train for the draft. Why did you choose this untraditional route?
I always promised my mom I would get my degree. Coming back for another year, it would give me an opportunity to get that out of the way and still move on to the next chapter.
How tough of a decision was it to not leave campus after the season ended?
It was. But before the combine I set my schedule up for this semester so I only had half semester classes. So before the combine I was able to go where I wanted to train before the combine. But it’s been kind of tough being here, going to class, having to do homework. It’s kind of hard to take that serious when you’re in the final stretch.
Give me an idea of the balance and the schedule you’re dealing with.
Two classes Monday, Wednesday; one class Tuesday, Thursday and kind of just workout around the times of the my classes. Try to find some guys to workout with. Some of the guys stayed back as well so I’ve got some guys to workout with. It’s always nice to workout with your teammates.
Are you getting any help from professionals or are you just doing it with your teammates and doing it on your own?
Where I was working out pre-combine (Athletic Gaines in Las Vegas), I had a workout sheet from them and I’ve been doing my workouts off of them.
Were you advised to put your degree off to the side and concentrate on training for the NFL instead?
Honestly, there wasn’t anyone that told me to go that route. I’ve been pretty confident in what I can do. As long as I keep my workout regimen up, nobody saw it as a big deal.
How difficult has it been balancing the coursework with training?
It’s definitely been a little bit harder than I thought, especially with all the traveling. Visiting different teams and what not, I didn’t know how hectic it would be. And just keeping up the schoolwork and homework has been the hardest part.
