Cole Strange: Path To The NFL Draft
By Simon Carroll
Did you know that there were thirteen FCS players in Super Bowl 56? Every year, prospects from outside of the 125 FBS programs face an uphill battle for exposure. Perhaps considered as an afterthought in the past, these small school standouts have the numbers to show they’re worthy of more than just a fleeting glance; ahead of week 1 last year, 97 FCS players made final cuts and were on active NFL rosters. Eleven of them made the Pro Bowl. And one of them – Cooper Kupp – won offensive player of the year and Super Bowl MVP.
Cole Strange is one of the few small school prospects to draw attention in the pre-draft process. After an eye-catching career at Tennessee-Chattanooga, the gifted offensive linemen turned heads at the recent Senior Bowl, and is ready to make his mark at the next level. He sits down with Simon Carroll to discuss his path to the NFL Draft:
Tennessee Through & Through
Devin Cole Strange was introduced to football at an early age. Growing up in the shadow of Robert Neyland Stadium it was kind of inevitable; Knoxville, Tennessee is home to the Volunteers – one of the biggest football programs in college football. But his inspiration for embracing the sport was even closer to home than the orange and white of the Rocky Top faithful:
“I guess it all started with my dad really. My brother Dylan is three years older than me, and he played for my father who coached on the little league teams. So I was running around on the practice field, trying to get involved from maybe five or six years of age. I didn’t have any equipment or anything but still tried to get into the drills, only to be told to get the hell outta there! But my dad was the one who introduced the sport to me, and once I started playing it, I fell in love with it.”
Strange was a natural at the sport, and football became as much a part of his young life as eating, drinking and sleeping. Attending Farragut High School on the outskirts of Knoxville, he develops into a key player for the Admirals under Tennessee coaching legend Eddie Courtney. Surprisingly though, his early home on the football field is on defense:
“I played linebacker right up until my senior year, when they moved me to defensive end. I really didn’t do much on offense, maybe play a little tight end here and there. But it was awesome. And playing for Coach Courtney was a privilege. I heard he retired recently, after something like 21 years coaching at the high school level. But I like him a lot. I still talk to him sometimes, and every time I’m back in Knoxville I work out at the high school and he’s usually there to open up the gym for me! But he’s a person I have great respect for, and because of him I was able to play well and go to a couple of state bowl games, which was great fun.”
That recognition was just the start of a list of accolades that Strange achieved during his time at Farragut. He actually won defensive MVP in on one of those bowl games, alongside defensive player of the year in the Knoxville Interscholastic League. He was a two-time captain for The Admirals and a two-time all-district player – and as he politely reminds me, he made the all-state team as a senior too.
Military Interest
Despite his success at Farragut, Cole Strange was only considered a two-star recruit. The difference that can make in a student-athletes recruiting experience is difficult to explain; instead of being courted by dozens of schools and getting offers from Power 5 programs, interest can be much more muted. For many, the opportunity to play at the FBS level may be scarce. And whilst Strange did receive a handful of offers, none of the college football heavyweights came calling:
“I certainly was one of the kids that fell into the latter category! There wasn’t interest from your big teams like Clemson, Alabama, even Tennessee who were terrible at the time. I got attention from the smaller schools; Chattanooga, and some of the teams in their conference such as Western Carolina and ETSU. The only two FBS offers I got were from Air Force and West Point.”
Strange expresses a deep appreciation for the service academies. Often disregarded by high-school stars looking for a more traditional higher education experience, Cole took the opportunity both Army and Air Force offered seriously, visiting the campuses and being impressed by both. One in particular nearly turned his head:
“I got some advice to go on as many recruiting visits as possible, and I’d never really been outside of Tennessee save for a couple of vacations. So when I got invited for official visits to Army and Air Force I thought why not – they’ll be fun weekends! So I went to West Point, took a visit there, then I headed to Colorado Springs. And I had liked the Air Force Staff for a long time – all the way through the process. And there is nowhere else in the world I can think of that is like the Air Force Academy. Colorado Springs is amazing, And unlike a lot of kids who don’t wanna do the service I was fired up for the military, so there was no part of the experience that I didn’t like. I ended up signing with them on that visit.”
Reconsidering Priorities
BUT.
This wasn’t a cut and dried recruiting process for Cole Strange. Before signing for Air Force, he had already committed to Chattanooga, an FCS school just a two hour drive down the I-75 from Knoxville. And collecting his thoughts after his trip to the Academy, he decided that leaving the state and losing time with his family was a price he wasn’t willing to pay for FBS football:
“I kinda came to realise that if I signed with Air Force, I’d see my family maybe two weeks in a year. As a prep school guy, I’d be in Colorado Springs for five years, so I would probably have seen my family for a month and a half total in half a decade. Ultimately I wanted to stay close to home, and I went to Chattanooga. And it’s not like I look back and think ‘what if’. I have no regrets about my decision.”
Strange obviously has a lot of love for Chattanooga, the city he has called home for the last five years. I’m interested to know why it was UTC over other schools close to home, and it’s here we get the first glimpse of his transformation from standout pass rusher to dominant offensive lineman:
“I had already taken a visit to Chattanooga. And they court you; take you around the campus, show you the facilities and the weight room. Invite you to dinner at nice restaurants, and show you the city. And Chattanooga is a cool city – I really liked it. They’d showed interest in me right throughout the process – I’d like to think for my own ego that the reason I had less attention than I should have was playing linebacker for most of my high school career. Once I moved to defensive end people took notice. But Chattanooga told me more than any other school that I could basically play wherever I wanted. Despite that, when I got there, I wasn’t really given a choice – they kinda threw a pair of knee braces at me and put me in at offensive line! But I was happy – I honestly would have played both sides of the ball if they’d let me.”
#GoMocs
.@GoMocsFB senior OL Cole Strange made @philsteele042 FCS Preseason All-American Team.
— Chattanooga Mocs (@GoMocs) July 26, 2020
13 Mocs made the Steele preseason All-SoCon squad.
🔗 - https://t.co/XUhgFG1rpH#GoMocs pic.twitter.com/LTKjGqKkjO
Like a lot of freshman student athletes, Cole Strange redshirted his first year on campus – not particularly surprising considering he was changing position. From a classroom perspective, Strange acclimatised well; Farragut is a respected high school in Tennessee and it allowed Strange to hit the ground running in terms of his studies, boasting an excellent GPA throughout his time at UTC. On the field was a different matter – Cole freely admitted that making the switch to offensive line and learning the rudiments against guys who were much better than he’d encountered before was tough.
Despite the steep learning curve, Strange suits up in 2017, and has an impressive first season as a Moc. Playing in ten games and starting six, he was named as a freshman All-American by Phil Steele – not bad for a guy who had only really played defense before:
“I was ecstatic with how well I did, and I really didn’t expect it. I was on Christmas break and in my sister’s room playing Mario Kart. One of my teamates in a group chat messaged me with a ‘hey man, congrats!’. Now I’m not a big social media guy, and didn’t have Twitter or Facebook back then, so I had no idea what he was talking about. I thought he was speaking to somebody else! But yeah, I was proud. I can say I played hard, but I didn’t have good technique – I had no technique really. And I was undersized too – rolling in at 260lbs. All I did was play hard and play to the whistle, and it paid off.”
Strange’s personal success wasn’t replicated in the team’s performances. Long-time head coach Russ Huesman left for Richmond the offseason prior after winning 36 games in the last four years. He was replaced by Tom Arth, who brought in a whole new team, and UTC went 3-8 that year. But Strange had laid the foundations for what would prove to be a dominant career In the navy and gold colours of Chattanooga.
"I Went To Chattanooga To Win, And We Didn't Really Do That"
Cole Strange would play another four years at Finley Stadium, starting 38 of 42 games. During that period he was named an All-American, made the all-conference team three times, won the Jacobs Trophy for the best blocker in the Southern Conference, and of course graduated with a degree in psychology. His decision to return to Chattanooga for his ‘super senior’ year helped him to finish honing his craft, and it wasn’t a difficult decision for him to make. Despite that, Strange does show a hint of disappointment about the lack of team success during his time there:
“I just wanted to keep playing. When they told me I had an opportunity to play another year I didn’t hesitate. And I loved every minute of my time at UTC, I really did. Personally, in terms of my evolution as a football player, I couldn’t have asked for much more from myself. But sometimes when I look back at my college career there is a tinge of regret. When I came to Chattanooga Coach Huesman was in charge and he was a winner – the year I got there they’d just come off their third straight conference championship. So we were rolling, and I was expecting to continue that. Then he leaves before I get on the field, and my first season we go 3-8 – and every year after that was pretty average. So I’m proud of the personal accolades, and how my performances have opened up other opportunities for me – but I went to Chattanooga to win, and we didn’t really do that.”
The sadness Strange shows caught me off guard, but it really shouldn’t have; after all, I’m talking to a man who learnt how to run block and pass protect at an elite level in a matter of years. He was thrown into the fire and appeared from the smoke like an unburnt Targaryen. Being a competitor is in his nature, ever since he tried to sneak into training drills when he was five years old. And that team-centric mindset that almost every successful offensive lineman has is front and centre in every response.
We discuss the two coaching regimes that Strange played under at UTC; Tom Arth left for Akron after two years, and former Moc Tight End Rusty Wright came in for the last three seasons. Cole suggests the schemes were similar but the coaching styles were very different. He has strong opinions on which setup he thought was more successful and which he enjoyed playing under, which won’t be disclosed. But suffice to say that Strange puts a premium on culture, work ethic, leadership and accountability – all coveted traits at the next level.
Positional Versatility
OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED! OL Cole Strange (@ColeStrange2) from @GoMocsFB is heading to the 2022 @Reeses Senior Bowl!!! 👏👏👏 #RepTheC #GoMocs #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ @JimNagy_SB @PaniniAmerica #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/aNkHLJf1S8
— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) November 17, 2021
Blessed with the athleticism required to play defensive end, Cole Strange has always been able to move on the field. His challenge was to add the size and play strength required not just to compete in college football, but in the NFL too. To that end, Strange has transformed his body from 250lbs leaving high school, to north of 300lbs as he goes through the pre-draft process. Watching his tape against Kentucky last year, it is a terrifying thought to see a man that quick continue to get bigger and more powerful. Considering a growing proportion of professional franchises utilise zone running concepts, the versatility his measurables offer is attractive:
“I’m really comfortable running outside zone, getting out in front and moving people. I’m comfortable running inside zone too, and I know for a fact I’m only going to continue to get bigger, gain weight and get stronger. I’m working out at EXOS in Pensacola, and the amount of emphasis they place on nutrition and eating right is not necessarily something I’ve ever done before. And I’ll be maintaining it for the rest of my career. The pizza and wings are done – I’m gonna continue to gain the right way, and for those teams with power run games, right up the A-Gap – that won’t be a problem either.”
There is no doubt Strange has caught the attention of NFL scouts. He was recently invited to The Senior Bowl, the most prestigious of all the showcase all-star games ahead of draft season. With the ability to play different spots on the interior a key requirement in the physical unforgiving world of professional football, Strange was put through his paces at an unfamiliar position. As a man who has seen this story before, Cole took to the role like a duck to water:
“I pretty much only played center at The Senior Bowl, the whole week. I felt real comfortable there – I’d played a total of a game and a half at center for Chattanooga back in 2019 when injury forced us to move things around, but it gave me a little idea of what to expect. And ever since then, I’d been snapping the ball in practice, because you never know when they’re gonna need you. So I knew I could play guard, and I was confident I could play center too. Which was good, because they just threw me in there and said ‘give it a go’! But it went really well, and I really enjoyed it – it’s definitely a position I’m open to playing in the NFL.”
NFL Speed Dating
Cole Strange soaked up every bit of advice from former Jets’ O-Line coach Jake Moreland at The Senior Bowl, putting all he learned from practices into effect in a strong performance in the showpiece game at the end of the week. Just as important, Strange got to spend time with scouts and coaches from all 32 teams in the NFL. Held over two evening sessions with sixteen 15-minute meetings in each, Cole described it as ‘NFL speed dating’, but it’s further evidence that he’s making an impression. Nobody needs to tell him there’s a long way to go; the training and timing, poking and prodding, has only just begun.
By the time you read this, Strange will be in the midst of the NFL Combine, the yearly meat market where the cream of draft prospects get put through their paces. With the emphasis on testing, Strange continues his training regime apace. Invigorated by new methods of personal improvement, the rewards are counted in the hundredths of seconds shaved off drill times. By now, most scouts are aware of the athleticism that he possesses, but there will still be one or two dropped jaws if Strange performs as expected.
From there, it’s over to Chattanooga’s pro day on Tuesday 29th March, one final opportunity to show what he is made of. Whilst Strange is too humble and focused to admit it, the whirlwind of the last twelve months has propelled him up draft boards, and he’s all but assured of being selected on draft weekend. We discuss his perceived draft stock, comparing him to Quinn Meinerz from Wisconsin-Whitewater – last year’s version of Cole Strange. Small-school prospects are notoriously hard to predict exactly where they come off the board, but all it takes is one scout to fall in love with you. In that regard, don’t be surprised if he’s gone before day three starts…
Cole is pretty cool with whatever outcomes befalls him, but apparently his girlfriend will be anxious enough for the pair of them:
“She calls it terrifying! But we have to watch it all – I don’t know how people are able to not keep an eye on it. But honestly, I really can’t imagine what that feeling will be like, to have an NFL team call you up and tell you they want you to go play for them. It’s been something I’ve wanted ever since I was gatecrashing my brother’s practices at five years old, so if it happens, it will be amazing.”
Add one more name to the list of FCS players in the NFL. Cole Strange isn’t finished with those knee braces yet.
A huge thank you to Cole for taking the time to talk to us. Everyone at The Touchown wishes him well in his future career.