When Tom Herman was offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Mike Vrabel sat the team down and explained a phrase that was important to him. The former Buckeyes star and longtime New England Patriots linebacker (who is now a defensive assistant with the Texans) told everyone that one of the most important things a player could do is to “be a pro.”
Vrabel’s speech resonated with Herman and was something he wanted to integrate into his head coaching philosophy once he got to Houston. Without Vrabel there to give the speech to the Cougars team, Herman decided to wing it and tell his own version to the guys when he got on campus. The mantra stuck, and Houston went 13-1, winning the American Conference, as well as the Peach Bowl, 38-24, against ACC powerhouse Florida State.
“The guys that stick around in the NFL aren’t guys who are super talented and wake up five minutes before games or go home right after practice,” Herman says. “It’s a job. The NCAA only gives us 20 hours a week, and if you think 20 hours a week is enough time to make the NFL or win a championship, it’s not. As a college athlete, you have to go above and beyond. And that’s taking care of your body, taking care of your nutrition, preparing in the film room, stretching, hydration, and mobility.”
One player in that room who took Herman’s words to heart had just as much of a reason to shrug off anything a college coach told him. Lee Hightower had transferred from Boise State, and in his four years as a player had three different head coaches – and four different defensive coordinators. He’s not unique; this happens to lots of players at the NCAA level, as athletic directors demand results and coaches try to climb the ladder.
Hightower came to Houston looking for a second chance. He was suspended at Boise State for an unspecified violation of team rules in the middle of the 2012 season, and was later suspended again in February of 2013. He found his fresh start at Houston, coached at the time by Tony Levine, and after sitting out a year due to the NCAA’s transfer rules, found a groove until tearing his achilles in October of 2014. The offseason brought another new head coach, and more uncertainty, but Herman had a calming influence on the Cougars, and it didn’t hurt that he could flash his newly minted College Football Playoff championship ring.
“Not only has the suspension been able to teach me a lot of things about how to handle my business and be a pro,” Hightower says, “but it’s three years old. I was a young kid, thrown into the spotlight, and didn’t handle it in the best way. With me being able to talk to teams about it, they’ve been really understanding of it. They get that when you’re a kid with that spotlight, you don’t always handle the adjustment that well.”
Admittedly, Herman didn’t know much about Hightower when he arrived at Houston. Hightower was still recovering from that achilles injury, and Herman had 84 other guys to familiarize himself with. But “be a pro” stuck with Hightower, who was often found in the training room doing the little things: foam rolling, doing band stretching, and getting treatment.
“You name it, he was committed to doing everything he could in less than a year to try and improve his flexibility and overall athleticism,” Herman says.
The senior worked his way back from the injury to become a major contributor, using his versatility as someone who could play either safety spot or cornerback (and make a difference on special teams) to develop into a Swiss Army Knife on the Cougars’ ball-hawking defense. His role evolved from what it was at Boise State, and he continued to develop on and off the field as the wins piled up for Houston.
The uncertainty of coaches, programs, position, role, and everything else could have been a detriment to Hightower’s NFL stock, but he’s spun that into a positive. With tenths of a second, quarter inches, and little else separating many of the guys jockeying for a selection in the draft, the best thing a player can do is find a niche, or something that sets him apart.
For Hightower, that versatility – in various systems and at different positions – might just be the thing that makes him more intriguing as a prospect.
“I really think that’s given me a good understanding of different concepts and different football,” Hightower says. “It’s going to help me adjust well when I get to the next level. Learning playbooks is something I’m going to catch up on quickly because it’s something I’ve already had to do. I’ve done it before. It’s one thing to think you’re smart and think you can do it, but it’s another thing to have actually done it and been around it.”
After the season, Hightower found himself in the same place hundreds of other senior players did: trying to figure out what was next. He rededicated himself to training, working out in New Jersey, and trying to get noticed by NFL scouts. He wasn’t invited to the Combine, but still made an impact at Houston’s pro day in late march. His numbers were surprising and put him right in line with some of the Draft’s best safeties, with him running a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash, putting up 16 reps in the bench, clocking at 11.42 in the shuttle, and hitting a 10’5 broad jump. His height – almost 6’2 – is a big benefit (and gives him an edge at the cornerback position).
There’s no guarantee Hightower will even hear his name called in next week’s draft, but he believes he’ll end up on a roster, even if he has to try and make a team as an undrafted free agent. The entire process is dizzying, as he gets information from scouts and team officials, who aren’t in the business of telling the whole truth all the time.
“During the course of those workouts,” Brady Quinn told me in a look back at his NFL Draft experience in 2007, “the visits and the combine, you’re told a lot of things. A lot of people say things to you, things they probably don’t need to say to you. You’ve got teams telling you they’re going to go up and get you, or draft you, or whatever else.”
Hightower is aware he can only do so much, and the ultimate control is in the hands of the decision makers. But he feels like he’s made a name for himself the past few weeks, and that missing out on the combine hasn’t hurt him. The Houston pro day created buzz, and he’s been trying to build on that – whether he’s picked on Day 2, or as late as a Mister Irrelevant.
The NFL dream is one that doesn’t die easy, and Hightower’s prepared to be a pro, no matter when or where he gets selected.
“Outside of maybe the first two or three rounds,” Hightower says, “there are a lot of guys vying for just a few spots. When you’re in that category – as a late round guy – you could get drafted, you could be a free agent, but I’m just excited to be here, especially when you look at everything I’ve been through. Would it be cool to be one of those guys going in the first round? Yeah, of course. But I have a chance.”
