How a player with zero career snaps stole the show at CSU's Pro Day

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — “There ya go Josh, let’s go Josh!”

As 10 prospects worked out in front of 24 NFL scouts on campus this past Wednesday, most of the participants had a group of family members, friends or professional representatives observing quietly from the side.

Out of the roughly 20 guests taking in the action, one man stood out in particular. Wearing an official Army uniform, Sergeant First Class Andrew Reynolds loudly and proudly encouraged Army Staff Sergeant Josh Griffin as he worked through the various individual drills at the Colorado State Football indoor practice facility.

As Griffin ran the 40-yard dash, Sergeant Reynolds clapped his hands with intensity and cheered on his friend on the opposite end of the field.

“There ya go Josh, let’s go Josh!”

Reynolds did the same when Griffin worked through cone drills and various technique tests with the scouts.

“There ya go Josh, let’s go Josh!”

Like Griffin, Reynolds is an active member of the U.S. Army and is coming up on 12 years of service this May. Through the ROTC program at CSU, Reynolds is pursuing a master’s degree in computer information systems and is set to graduate this spring.

Even though he was swamped with obligations for both work and school, Reynolds said he couldn’t miss a chance to support Griffin, who he originally met through the Army in 2015 and later became close friends with at CSU.

“He’s a great individual. He’s self-motivating and driven. He just has so many good things going in his life,” Reynolds said of Griffin. “He has this charismatic leadership ability that makes people want to hang around him — and people just gravitate to that.”

Reynolds went on to say that despite the fact that Griffin never got to see the field for any official snaps over the last two seasons — something that he referred to as a travesty — he believes the sky is the limit for Griffin and that he will ultimately show everyone they were wrong for doubting him.

“He was the best weapon on the team and they saved him,” Reynolds said.

After the event, Griffin talked about how much it meant to him to have Reynolds and a supporting cast at his Pro Day rooting for him. Along with Reynolds, Colonel Troy Thomas was able to catch the end of the event and show his support for Griffin.

“Oh man, I love them. Those are my brothers,” Griffin said. “… Skin color doesn’t mean nothing to us. It’s all about the blood.”

While Griffin’s effort to pursue a professional football career at 34 years old is untraditional, the 5-foot-10, 208-pound, safety/running back is extremely confident that he will at least get some looks in NFL camps. Griffin said that the only thing that would hold him back at this point is a lack of imagination or an inability to look past abstract limitations that aren’t really there.

“For two years, I played with some of the best young men in the world and I think I showed today that even if some things weren’t top speed or world class, I definitely know that I was still above average,” Griffin said.

For guys like Sergeant Reynolds and Colonel Thomas, Griffin’s pursuit of the next level is an inspiration. Watching the way he has persevered and continued to push forward, even after not getting any playing time in 2019 or 2020, reaffirmed to them just what kind of a man Josh Griffin is.

“It should be an inspiration for everyone else to strive, and say hey I may not be given everything that I want right now but my day will come,” Reynolds said.

Griffin, on the other hand, said that it’s Reynolds and Thomas that are inspiring to him.

“When I see them over there screaming my name, I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to mistake this glorious opportunity that CSU, that God, and that the military has given me,” Griffin said. “So, with every breath of my body, until I die and leave this earth, you’ll see the best of me.”

Considering he has no film and is nearly a decade older than the average professional football player, the odds of Griffin signing a pro deal are not very good. Regardless of how slim the chances are, though, Griffin is living proof of how far hard work can take you.

Griffin dreamed of playing college football and he made that that dream come true. He didn’t let outside noise or preconceived limitations hold him back, and he worked his butt off every single day to make it a reality.

As he moves forward with his life, whether he’s suiting up in the NFL, making use of his degree in philosophy or pursuing something completely different altogether, the CSU community and those that know him will always be proud of what Griffin accomplished.

“I just want the best for him,” Reynolds said. “He gives me so much inspiration for me to try and strive to be better… He has so many great things ahead of him and I just look forward to it and wish him all the best.”