Jeremy Cowart, Photographer

Players Hit Combine After Months Of Training; Several Trained In Nashville

By Amber McKellar February 19, 2009

The NFL Scouting Combine kicked off in Indianapolis Thursday, and over the course of the next six days players will run, jump, lift and interview for front office officials from all 32 NFL teams.

For all of the 330 players present, the weekend in Indy is more than a week in the making. They’ve all trained weeks in advance, and some have chosen to work locally with a company in Nashville than specializes in Combine training.

D-1 Sports Training and Therapy was founded in July 2002, and since then the company has grown tremendously. Will Bartholomew, a former fullback for the Tennessee Volunteers and Denver Broncos, opened the first D-1 training center right outside of Nashville in Franklin, TN. His goal was to provide a place for athletes to come and train with experienced coaches in an environment where there is lots of motivation. Since suffering a knee injury from training camp when he was with the Broncos, Bartholomew came up with the idea to also have physical therapy at the facilities so players could train and rehab in the same area. From this idea, D-1 therapy was born.

''Back eight years ago I was always looking for a place where I could go and learn from guys who have been to the combine, who have been at the NFL and played high level football,’’ Bartholomew said. ‘’So that's what we want to do is create that for the community where kids can come in here and learn from experts and refine their tools and hopefully help them in their game.''

Bartholomew’s idea has now grown to seven fully-operating facilities across the Southeast. These places include: Chattanooga, Greenville, Huntsville, Knoxville, Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville. Since opening, D-1 has trained over 250 pro athletes, 1,000 men and women executives, and 350 Division-1 Collegiate athletes.

As one might expect, Bartholomew's job has extensive demands. 

''I'm the CEO, the founder, so what I do is provide direction and overall vision not just specifically for the combine program, but for the entire company,’’ Bartholomew said. ‘’I basically do all the business development, so I deal a lot with the agents. I have a lot of connections in the NFL so I'm always calling guys in the NFL and telling them about our great players.''

'Bartholomew partnered with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to start the first D-1 facility and since that time he’s added a backing of NFL athletes such as Chester McGlockton, James Trapp, Philip Rivers and AJ Hawk.

It’s that solid foundation in NFL football that has made D-1 a popular host for college players looking to cash in at the next level. The facility in Franklin trained 25 of the nation’s top athletes for this year’s Combine, a number they’ve housed year in and year out since 2002.

''If you're invited to the combine you're obviously one of the top players in the country,’’ Bartholomew said. ‘’We really look for guys who are willing to work hard, commit, and guys not trying to get pampered. It's a lot like preparing for the ACT. This is a test, it's a physical test.''

The combine training program at D-1 consists of six elements: Learn More

1. Maximize speed to enable a 40-yard dash with proper technique
2. Obtain a strength program for individual needs
3. Agility skills
4. Individual position-specific work that the athlete will perform at the combine
5. Flexibility
6. Nutrition

''The combine guys are actually training for about seven hours a day,’’ Bartholomew said. ‘’They're here in the morning, here in the afternoons, and then they're back here at night. Typically it takes about six weeks to get prepared for the Combine. We want the agents to obviously know about D-1, and know that we're the best for combine preparation.''

Players hope that preparation and attention to detail pays dividends now that the Combine is underway. Some won't make the cut on Draft Day, but this is the week where the best prospects are able to separate themselves from the group.

2008 D1 Combine Class:

Julian Arthur, TE – University of California
Will Davis, DE - University of Illinois
Casey Dick, QB - University of Arkansas
Jarrett Dillard, WR - Rice University
Xavier Fulton, OL - University of Illinois
Darius Hill, TE - Ball State University
Jeremiah Johnson, RB - University of Oregon
Jerome Johnson, LB - Nevada-Reno
Troy Kropog, OT - Tulane University
T.J. Lang, OT - Eastern Michigan University
Bret Lockett, S - UCLA
Ryan McDonald, C - University of Illinois
Brandon Pearce, OT - University of Memphis
Anthony Scirrotto, FS - Penn State University
Brannon Southerland, FB - University of Georgia
Ryan Stanchek, OG - University of West Virginia
Lucas Taylor, WR - University of Tennessee
Brandon Underwood, FS - University of Cincinnati
Ellix Wilson, LB - University of Tennessee
DeAndre Wright, CB - University of New Mexico