Austin Collie's training strides unique from BYU?
Austin Collie is working his tail off in trying to present the best effort possible at the NFL Combine next week.
In following up with his father, Scott Collie, Austin is motivated and eager to improve every aspect of his game. Scott Collie said he’s heard some BYU fans question if conditioning coach Jay Omer could have or should have provided similar training, especially when it comes to improving speed.
“It’s silly to make that comparison or contrast the two,” said Scott. First, BYU football players under Omer are allowed a very specific time in weight-lifting and cardio and that has to blend in with skill development and practice sessions. The NCAA mandates a maximum of only 20 hours a week for college athletes to do their sport.
Secondly, In Los Angeles, Austin is in a concentrated training environment where his physical conditioning is his full-time job. He goes to work at 7 a.m. for a three-hour session, takes a break and then returns for a second session from 1 to 4 p.m. Those sessions include skill development, weight training and cardio. He also spends a lot of time in recovery mode to get his body to bounce back for another sessions. He is under the direction of a series of professional trainers, each an expert to help with different aspects of his preparation including a strict diet and nutrition plan all paid by his agency.
No more Taco Bell. No more soft drinks.
His life the past few weeks has been nothing but training. As for his speed training, at BYU, players run sprints or gassers all the time, and they have techniques used by Omer to increase explosion and increase speed, but they are not in a track and field environment. BYU times football players just once in the 40 and shuttle run and that is at the end of off-season conditioning in June.
In his current training, Collie is working on specific things to improve his 40 time, which is important at the combine. A sprint coach can shave off a tenth to two-tenths of a second off a 40 time just in techniques in the start off the line. That is what this pre-draft camp is designed to do.
“I’ve read where some people question what conditioning was done at BYU and I just think it’s silly to compare, it isn’t the same in terms of time available. This is Austin’s job right now, his work. When I talk about him transforming his body, it’s because it is all he’s been doing for weeks,” said Scott.