Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83706
Baltimore's Next Level Nation program strives to create elite prospects | that for you. Consistent production, versatility and hard work can do it, too. And so far, true freshmen Da'Quan Davis, a corner- O back, and Trevor Williams, a receiver, are following a similar path to Penn State stardom. All three are graduates of Calvert Hall in Baltimore. All three were shoved into varsity action their freshman year. All three, as high school seniors, backed away from verbal commitments to other football programs so they could choose Penn State late in the recruiting cy- cle. (Amos was headed to Connecticut; Davis and Williams were off to West Virginia.) The three players have had nearly identical careers, to this point, which might seem unusual at first, but there might be a reason for at least part of it. Amos, Davis and Williams are connected by what Calvert Hall assis- tant Devin Redd calls "a brotherhood." Nearly three years ago, Redd and his best friend and fellow Cardinals assistant coach Cory Robinson began working on a project they had been thinking about since they were in high school. They call it Next Level Nation. "It was something we always wanted to do," Redd ex- plained. "We felt as though, growing up, we lacked cer- tain opportunity and exposure. Whenever the opportu- nity was presented to us, we would always come back and give back and do what exactly God has envisioned us to do, and that's start Next Level Nation." Founded by Redd and Robinson in 2010, NLN is an or- ganization – or an "organized nation" according to NLN's official Twitter account – that aims to transform the lives of student-athletes and prepare them to com- pete at a higher level. For $100 a month per athlete, NLN provides a week- end training academy for all position groups in which it practices college-style drills. It is open to all Baltimore- nly a sophomore, Adrian Amos has quickly be- come one of the most recognizable faces on the Penn State defense. Magazine cover shots can do area middle school and high school athletes who can pass the academic and athletic assessments. Each summer the club competes in multiple seven-on-seven tournaments up and down the East Coast. Whenever possible, a crew will carpool to various Division I foot- ball stadiums for group visits. (About a dozen members showed up at Beaver Stadium for the spring game, clad in silver jogging suits embroidered with a blue-and-red NLN logo.) NLN's goal is to get its athletes needed expo- sure so they can be recruited by a variety of football programs. "[Redd and Robinson] decided to start working out with us around my junior year when I didn't know too much about any camps or combines," Amos recalled. "So [Next Level Nation] helped me get recognized and know that I was supposed to go to these camps and combines to get noticed." "We're just trying to create ways to get these young men opportunity," Redd said. "These guys love to play football. Unfortunately, we don't live in Texas, Florida or California – places that play football year-round – so we do things like seven-on-sevens and things like that to give these kids a chance to showcase their talent and keep the ball in their hands." Penn State hasn't been the only beneficiary of NLN's work. Since it started up three years ago, the organiza- tion has had a former pupil play in every Bowl Champi- onship Series conference. In addition to Amos, Davis and Williams, Penn State offensive tackle Donovan Smith and freshman walk-on defensive end Albert Hall have worked with NLN. Those players are "part of that lineage, a part of that brother- hood, too," Redd said. And down the road, the pipeline could continue. "Regardless of the [NCAA] sanctions," Redd said, "Penn State is still going to be a home for us. We're still going to come there and camp. We'll still do the same thing. Nothing is going to change with our approach to- ward Penn State."