Jarvis Courtney Sr. OL & FB Tryout with XFL | Alan Alford Sports Talk Show 💯🏈🎙️

Welcome everybody to another great episode of the Alan Alfred Sports Talk Show. I'm Alan and today we have a fantastic guest for you. We have Jarvis Courtney Sr. joining us. I met Jarvis right at the XFL Showcase in Orlando, Florida. He's going to talk about that experience of trying out for the XFL and beyond. We're going to go ahead and hear from Jarvis in just a few moments, but first let's go ahead and thank our wonderful sponsor, Chef G's Florida Barbecue Sauce. So delicious and addicting, you may need a support group. Please feel free to visit Chef G's right here at 301 South 22nd Street, Tampa, Florida or try out any one of the four beautiful flavors at flbbqsauce.com, flbbqsauce.com. Don't forget that sauce. Let's go ahead and bring Jarvis on. Let's have a great time and a great show. Thank you for joining us on the Alan Alfred Sports Talk Show. Welcome to the Alan Alfred Sports Talk Show. We're joined by a fantastic guest, Jarvis Courtney Sr., offensive line. So how you been? I'm good, man. I'm good, man. Just blessed to be alive for one and just ready to ball, ready to run a man over most of those times. Yeah, I see like you're real excited and you tried out for the XFL showcase where we met. Tell us about that experience. Well, it was all the, you know, the drills that I've been doing through the past years, the L drill, the three cone drill. Then we had a couple of pass blocks and run block drills, just basically everything that I've been doing. And then the 20-yard dash was for offensive linemen. But for me, it's just everything was a breeze because I was already well prepared. Yeah, it seemed like you went through it real good and you've been playing ball for a long time. Tell us about your background in playing football. Okay, well, I first started playing football when I was seven. I played all throughout middle school and everything like that throughout high school. I got accepted into the All-Star game after, well, my senior year in high school and then was looking to play college football, but, you know, didn't get the opportunity to. And then I ended up playing arena football in 2018 for the West Virginia Rough Riders. Then the Skyhawks out in Washington State. Then I ended up playing for Solana Liberty out in Kansas and then played for Wichita, Kansas, not too far away from Solana Liberty. So I played out there for a couple of years or whatever. And then I was pushing to get an NFL workout, but, you know, couldn't really make it happen because around that time I didn't have an agent. And then, you know, COVID and everything hit. So that kind of slowed things down for me. Then I came back home, you know, working and staying in shape, you know, each and every day, spending time with my son. I do have a four-year-old son. Getting these showcases for the XFL. I did the one in Atlanta. Then I had the one in D.C. And I don't know if you're familiar with the Hub football. I had that out in San Diego. I went out there twice and worked out. Still didn't hear anything back. But, you know, I just feel like back then I used to get discouraged, you know what I'm saying? But it's never in my time and it's in God's time. So I just got to continue to trust the process. Keep my head down and just keep on trucking and just, you know, sooner or later the opportunity will present itself. Yeah, it sounded like you're really going after it. And every, you know, experience that you did with the showcase, how would each one of them differ in your mind? I feel like, like I said, everything, I feel like everything was a breeze for real because me and my trainers, we were well prepared. The one drill I did work hard on was the L drill, you know, because with that drill you got to stay low to keep your time short and everything like that. But other than that, I just feel like everything was a breeze. And I know the Atlanta one had a lot of coaches there, XFL coaches. Talk about that experience. I did speak with the D.C. Defenders coach Hutchinson and I want to say it was the Arlington Renegades head coach. I can't remember his name, but make a long story short, I spoke with them and was telling me, you know what I'm saying? Just keep doing what I'm doing and stay ready because one thing about it is you don't want to get the phone call and you not be ready. Yeah, that would be an amazing phone call for you to get. And a lot of people don't know that you played arena football. How did that experience go? It was like football is football, you know what I'm saying? But arena football, you know, the field is shorter. You know, it's you only got three down offensive linemen. You got your center, then you got, you know what I'm saying, two guards, attackers, whatever you want to call it. And then it's basically like one on one every play. You know, it's fast paced, you know? So for me, I do feel like it's faster than outdoor football because everything is so short, you know what I'm saying? And you got the wide receivers going and high motion and everything like that. So you really want to go into the arena league being in shape, you know what I'm saying? And just being ready for that contact because everybody's just so close together. Yeah, it seemed like it's real fast paced. And how does that help you with the offensive line? Just for one, not losing one on one. I never strapped my helmet up to take an L from nobody. I don't care who it is. I don't care the name, you know what I'm saying, what college they went to. It don't, none of that don't matter to me. It's a man on a man every play, you know what I'm saying? You got to strap your helmet up just like I got to strap my helmet up. But just seeing the field a little bit better and everything just being so fast paced, you know what I'm saying? And I did play against a couple of guys that played, did play in the NFL. They bettered my game, you know, playing that center position, playing that guard, that tackle position, just always being ready and on my toes at all times, you know what I'm saying? So it all around, it just helped my game. Yeah, it sounded like it really did. And is any offensive line man that you look up to that says, you know what, he plays a position really strong? Yeah, I like Trent Williams for the 49ers. It's just, you know what I'm saying? Like that man right there is really a beast that I've really watched his film, you know what I'm saying? And I basically do the same thing, but I try to do it like a thousand times better than him. You know what I'm saying? And just making sure that my craft is to perfection and just, you know what I'm saying? Staying ready and just destroying my opponent. Like I'm just like right now, like if I get a call right now, I'm ready to go. Yeah. It's not like you really staying in shape and, and you have a lot of motivation, not just on the field. You know, you're one of the few people that actually have a son talk about his impact with you. You know, him having my full name is, is just a blessing. You know what I'm saying? Like each and every day, just being around him, you know what I'm saying? Just him showing me like the love that I never, you know what I'm saying, been shown before. And you know what I'm saying? Just feeling that and just feeling that energy from him is, is, is huge. And just like, he, he motivates me so much. And like, just like this past year, last year, like when he went through the situation, he went through with, uh, that RSV, you know what I'm saying? The little sickness or whatever he had been in the hospital and everything like that. I made a promise to him, you know what I'm saying? And like, when he was just on that bed, just, you know what I'm saying? Just like hooked up the autumn, like cores and stuff. Like I really, I made a promise to him that, you know, if you stay with me, like I'm gonna make sure that your life is a lot easier than mine, you know, and it's like running through all them obstacles and stuff like that to make sure his path is way straighter than mine. When I was growing up and just being around him, it just made me not like a better father, but like, like, like a better person, better individual, better, you know what I'm saying? A better son, a better brother, you know what I'm saying? He just made me better all around. And he really showed me, you know what I'm saying? Like, like being with him, it taught me how to have patience, you know what I'm saying? Because you have to have patience with your kids, but, um, he just, he made me, so he's my motivation. And then not only him, like my grandmother, just losing her cancer in 2016, I just promised her that I was going to make it to the league. You know what I'm saying? I still stand on that. I never wanted to break a promise, especially from her. So all that together really motivates me and it keeps me in the game, you know what I'm saying? And it, and it helps me physically and mentally to stay ready and stay focused. Yeah. I mean, definitely. It sounds like you, you look on that when things get tough, because it isn't easy making it as a professional. Talk about that journey. Yeah. It's definitely not easy. Um, like I said, like I didn't, I went to college, but I didn't get the opportunity to play college ball, just believing in yourself and betting on yourself and, and just, you know what I'm saying? Like staying ready and trusting God in this time and that, you know what I'm saying? Like, whatever you want to do, you can really, you can really achieve it. You know what I'm saying? You just gotta stay and pray it up. That's, that's the main thing throughout whatever, not just football, but whatever you're trying to be in life, like just, you know what I'm saying? Staying prepared, staying ready for everything. And just, I fought to become a professional athlete, you know what I'm saying? Each and every week, each and every month, each and every year, you know what I'm saying? Like 10 years plus I've been at this, you know what I'm saying? And this, I feel like with my background and everything like that, you know, I feel like a lot of people would have been gave up because like, we don't come from Miami, you know what I'm saying? Or, or like Oregon or, or, you know, like Cleveland or Washington DC or something like that. Like I come from a small town, so it's really, it's hard, you know what I'm saying? But like, I feel like I was put in this position for a reason to not only make it out for myself, but these younger kids that look up to me, like, you know what I'm saying? Once they see that I made it out, you know what I'm saying? They're going to feed off my energy and they're going to do the same thing. Yeah. I mean, that's definitely inspirational. And talk about that, that town that you're from and how it was growing up. Well, I'm from Lexington Park, Maryland. It's a lot of talent down here. It really is. Like right now, I coach with my older cousin, 10U. You know, right now we're, either we're 7 and 0. It's not, it's really, it's really not a lot down here. We really try to make it the best, you know what I'm saying? And, and for these kids and to give them hope that no matter where they come from, they can make their dreams a reality. And we're just here, you know, pushing also fighting for these kids. And like you said, you've got shooting and killing everywhere, you know what I'm saying? Everywhere in this world. But, you know, we have a little bit of that down here, just trying to make my place a better place, you know? And like I said, I feel like God put me in this position to change it. And I'm going to do that. And definitely you reference God a lot. He's definitely played a factor in your success and who you are. Talk about your faith in him bringing you to the point of where you're at. Just like everything that I've been through, you know what I'm saying? Like when I was trying to get an NFL workout and everything, like, and I didn't get that, you know, kind of fell through like depression and everything like that. I went through that for a few years and, you know, I was kind of reaching out to people to see like what was going on with me at the time. But like, it, it, it was just me. It was, it was a physical, I mean, it was a mental battle that I had to fight and I had to come to realities like ain't nobody fight with me, but God, you know what I'm saying? And I beat that, you know? And I just feel like he put me through that to help the next person when they go through that, go through that. And they feel like they can't get through it. You know what I'm saying? They can reach out to me, you know what I'm saying? Because I'm willing to help them beat that. You know what I'm saying? Because I feel like a lot of people don't really think that your mental is important. Like I feel like mental is number one, because you can't do nothing. If you're not mentally prepared, you can be physically prepared, but if you're not mentally prepared, it's not a good chance that, you know what I'm saying? You can really do what you want to do, but, and just trusting God and just fighting each and every day and knowing that wherever I go, you know what I'm saying? Whatever state that I end up playing in, he with me the whole way, you know? So I do know that wherever I go, I'm going to be good. And it's just, it's just run through a man's face every time. That's it. And that's good. And along those lines with the coach giving you that opportunity, when that happens, what could they expect from They going to get a dog, you know what I'm saying? Somebody that's not going to take a playoff, somebody that's, you know, going to fight each and every day, someone that's going to ride a practice early and the last one to leave practice, you know, because it's like me, I got to fight a thousand times harder than the next man. You know, I understand that my own struggles, but where I come from, man, it ain't, it ain't easy, you know? So if you give me the opportunity, like you going, it's going to be your best opportunity. It's going to be your best move that you will ever make. So it's like, I'm here, you know, I'm ready and I'm about to, I'm ready to get this thing popping for her. Like I'm ready to just, you're going to get a captain, you know what I'm saying? Someone that's good for a lot of them. So I'm self motivated. You know what I'm saying? I never, like I said, I never strapped my helmet up to take her L's from nobody. I don't care who it is. I'm going to put the team on my back and we're going to go win this championship. We're not just going to win games. We're going to win championships and we're going to win it big. Yeah. That's awesome. And then, so for people who want to check film, you was number one Oh four, right? And one 34 at the showcase. Is that right? Okay. So they could check that. And how old are you now? Jarvis? Uh, 29. All right. So definitely it's, it sounds like you ready to go and, and people should give you that opportunity because it's not easy going ahead and challenging yourself to be at these showcases and you've been doing it and I feel like your opportunities coming. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's going to be, it's going to be awesome. And for yourself, I didn't want to ask the NFL question, I guess. What is your opinion about the Tush push? Do you feel as if that's a legal play? I don't know. Honestly, I have no clue. I know that they're changing a lot of stuff within the NFL. You know what I'm saying? It's we all heavy hitters for real. So it's like you hit someone hard a certain way and it's like they're throwing a penalty. I'm like, man, well, this is, this is football, man. This is contact. Like, you know, but with all that I have, I honestly don't have an answer for that one, man. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, definitely. I know it's, it's going either way, but yeah, I definitely wish you a lot of success. I feel like your opportunity is coming in your son. Definitely. How's he doing now? He's doing good, man. He's, he's getting bigger, healthy. Just, you know, he's huge and he's only four, you know, he's at school right now. So yeah. That's good. So you get a little break till the little man comes home. But yeah, I'm going to definitely keep in touch with you. Make sure that you make it through this journey because we want to make sure you make it on the Allen for sports show. I want you to get that opportunity. And, and so it's offensive lineman and you're ready to go. Yes, sir. Yes, and fullback. Okay. So wherever they, I'm versatile, wherever they want me, man, let's, let's, let's get it going. Let's go. That's right. So that's Jarvis Courtney senior. Really appreciate you joining us here on the Allen out for sports show. We're going to keep in touch and definitely I'm praying you get that opportunity. Yes, sir. Appreciate it, sir. You're welcome. My pleasure. All right. All right now.