“Playing at Ohio State teaches you how to handle the pressure.” – Running Back Daniel ‘Boom’ Herron
THE Ohio State University is one of the places that the NFL goes shopping for new players. Throughout their illustrious history, 329 players have been drafted from the school. 68 of them went the first round and 3 were selected number 1 overall. 54 have went on to play in Super Bowls, and 7 are immortalized in Canton.
There are currently 37 active alumni in the NFL, including the Saints’ DE Will Smith, 49ers’ bone-crushing safety Donte Whitner, and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes.
So if you think about it, the statement above is true. But that’s just what it is: a statement. Speculation. And now, if senior RB Boom Herron wants to be part of that list, he needs to conjure up that old-school (pun intended) magic because he has never felt more pressure in his life.
Boom posted solid numbers throughout his tenure with the school, most notably in 2010 where he went for 1155 yards with 16 touchdowns. His performance that season earned him a first-team selection to the all-Big Ten Conference. He currently ranks top 10 in the school record books for rushing yards (2869) and touchdowns (33).
As he prepares to take the next leap into the pros, Herron is familiar with the pressures of playing that position. A lot is asked of a running back. Yes, he is expected to run, and run well. But he is also asked to go out on routes, which requires him to learn the techniques of the wide receivers. If that wasn’t hard enough, the offense calls on him to block, serving as the last line of defense for the QB from a blitzing linebacker. And occasionally, he can be used in a gimmick play where he throws the ball downfield.
In essence, a running back has to learn to play 3 additional positions other than his own. Talk about multitasking.
Needless to say, in order to pull off being superhuman, he needs to be in top physical condition. Which means really watching your diet. You know, water instead of soda, fruit instead of candy, etc.
“I’m focused on eating healthier and doing two a day workouts,” Herron said. “For breakfast I usually have eggs, oatmeal fruit and always drink lots of water. I had a great team that helped me put together my diet and work out program. I just wanted to maintain my weight so kept my calories to about 600 per meal. I am weighing in around 212 [lbs].”
600 per meal. I think that slice of Costco pizza I just ate was about 600. Although Boom said that he does love food, especially chicken.
For his weight room regimen, Boom has a “different program for each day.” He usually uses Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to lift or work on technique, and Wednesday is his recovery stretching day. He also gets a massage a few times a week.
Boom is working hard, and he knows it.
“I am a good all around athlete and expect to do good on the 40 [yard dash] and kill the bench. I like to think my style of play is similar to [Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew] MJD and Ray Rice. Of course one of my favorite players is [Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson] AP.”
At the Combine Herron ran a 4.66 second 40-yard dash and got 22 reps on the bench press. He also posted the second best time for running backs, 4.04 seconds, in the 20-yard shuttle, which measures speed and change of direction over a short distance.
And unlike most prospects, Boom has a little help on the inside too. He is good friends with Arizona Cardinals’ running back Beanie Wells, and his brother David is a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings.
“They have both helped me focus and prepare for the combine and preparing for the NFL.”
A wise man once told me that there is no substitute for pre-production planning. Which basically means if you prepare well enough you will succeed at anything. And it certainly seems that Boom is doing everything necessary for that.
If Boom’s plan goes accordingly, he will be shaking hands with Roger Goodell on that stage come April.
Scottie Graham contributed to this report.
