University of Indianapolis Alumni Loren Strickland (‘21) recently made school history, becoming the first Greyhound to ever make it on to an NFL team’s 53-man roster after earning an official spot with the Detroit Lions, according to UIndy Athletics.
After Strickland graduated with a degree in finance in December of 2021, he transferred to Ball State University where he said he had the opportunity to play against some of the larger schools from the Southeastern Conference. He said one of the biggest changes was the size of the crowds, going from around 10,000 fans to 100,000 fans at some of their bigger games. Going from being a captain at UIndy, Strickland said he had to adjust to no longer having as big of a role on his new team which was a humbling but good experience.
Strickland said one of the main reasons he transferred to Ball State was because of an opportunity for a “pro day” there. Pro days are events hosted by Division I schools where athletes get to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts and coaches, according to NBC. Strickland said he was not one of the players being looked at by the NFL prior to going into his pro day with Ball State. This was not new for Strickland, as he said he had been underestimated coming into college as well.
“Coming out of high school I was undersized and overlooked a lot,” Strickland said. “I only had two opportunities to go play college football.”
Strickland said he started receiving recognition and attention from scouts after performing and testing well. He said he talked to other teams, but the Lions were the ones that called and signed him after the draft ended. Since he was signed, he said this meant that he had secured a spot as one of the 90 players that the team will carry over the summer before cutting down to itsfinal 53-man roster.
The day-to-day of the NFL is demanding, with three to four practices a week and days that start at 7 a.m. and do not end until 7 p.m. sometimes, Strickland said. Despite the taxing schedule, Strickland said it is worth it in the end. Strickland said one of his favorite parts since having made it to the NFL is the amount of people he is able to have an impact on now.
“Especially being up here in Detroit, doing the preseason games and all that stuff, it was very special with the way their fans rallied together that day and showed up and even the kids and everybody that I’ve made an impact on so far since I’ve made it,” Strickland said. “From family, to friends, to teammates I’ve had in the past, coaches I’ve grown up with, or even just kids in the community where I’m from, that look up to me. It’s those kinds of things, they’re very inspired, motivated by you, very proud.”
Strickland said one of his fondest moments at UIndy was a pick six he had against Lindenwood University in 2019. Head UIndy Football Coach Chris Keevers said Strickland was a driven and focused player as well as a good student. Keevers said Strickland knew what he wanted and worked hard for it.
“He wanted to play in the NFL,” Keevers said. “He made that very apparent to me for a long time.”
Keevers said Strickland set himself apart from players in the past because he turned himself into an NFL prospect. Strickland was a good player for UIndy, Keever said, but it was the extra work he continuously put in to make himself a better player that allowed him to achieve his goals.
“I’ve been in this business a long time, played at Purdue, coached at Purdue, coached some really good players, coached some NFL players, but you don’t get there without a drive and a want to, and he had a lot of want to,” Keevers said. “And it was very important to him, and he believed it, and not a lot of people did, but he did, and that’s all that mattered.”
