How Football Analytics Put a Walk-On on a Path to the NFL
Author: Dave Grendzynski
The insights we’re getting from our guests on the Xtra Edge podcast are even better than I imagined. Take Connor Neighbors, for instance.
The answer he gave when I asked him, “How did you discover sports analytics?” even shocked me.
Connor said he went to LSU as a PWO—preferred walk on. As an undersized linebacker, he acknowledged he wasn’t the biggest or fastest player. The only guarantee he got was a chance to compete, with no scholarship or promises.
The Day Sports Data Changed Everything
The football team at LSU was collecting data and football analytics at the time (2010), but Connor never wore a player tracking sensor because he was a walk-on. But one day everything changed. Somebody was sick, and he got the chance to wear a sensor at practice.
After that practice, Coach Tommy Moffitt, who’s now the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Texas A & M, went to then Head Coach Les Miles and the rest of the coaching staff and told them what the data was telling him.
He said that Neighbors had one of the highest acceleration and deceleration rates on the team. But Moffitt wasn’t lobbying for Neighbors to play linebacker, he said that he’d be a great candidate for their open fullback position.
“As a preferred walk on, it’s the data that actually helped me get on the field.”
It wasn’t long after that the preferred walk-on linebacker asked Coach Miles if he could switch to fullback, and he did. He became a full-time player on offense, playing in 43 games, starting 17, and developed a reputation as being a punishing blocker. He said, “As a preferred walk on, it’s the data that actually helped me get on the field.”
From PWO to D1 Starter to the NFL
He also credits the analytics with helping him get the opportunity to play as a true freshman in a game against North Carolina in the Georgia Dome.
His college football career resulted in an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, and the chance to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans.
An injury cut his professional career short, but he’s taking what he learned and applying it to coaching.
If you think that story’s crazy, tune into the podcast to also find out how he got the nickname “Bonesaw”, and how he’s using football analytics as the Director of Football Strength and Conditioning at the University of Louisiana.
Or download our guide to learn more about using football analytics to improve your players’ performance.
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