Former college quarter back at the University of Alabama and NFL quarter back for the New York Jets Greg McElroy recently came to speak to the athletes about commitment and how to compare their lives to athletics.
“I was really looking forward to meeting everyone and spending some time with the guys and just talking about ways you can apply worth ethic and all the other things the National Guard talks about to their lives. It goes hand in hand with what you need to do from an athletic standpoint,” McElroy said.
Not only is McElroy a national championship winning quarter back, but now he is a football analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network. As an analyst his job entails many different things, but his main job is to break down games and discuss them.
“The analysts at the SEC Network mostly watch film, evaluate the teams in the SEC and really just break things down. Working with all the other analysts is great and a lot of it is just having fun. It feels like I’m in a locker room again,” McElroy said.
Many things contribute to McElroy’s success as an analyst but the most helpful thing is his knowledge of college football and the system itself.
“I think that understanding the game and situations helps me the most. When you play the game you are able to think the game in a rather quick manner. Also the fact that I was able to play in college and understand that particular system is really helpful. The more knowledge you have the better you do,” McElroy said.
As an analyst McElroy faces many challenges, but one of the most challenging things is trying to please everyone. Football fans on social media sites often express their opinions about McElroy and some can be negative or harsh.
“People hating on me on twitter is one of the challenges I face with my job. One of the toughest things is trying to make people happy but also trying to give your honest opinion. You want people to enjoy the things you bring to the television set but if you say something bad about their team then you have to be prepared for the backlash,” McElroy said.
In the future McElroy hopes to continue doing what he loves which is being a football analyst. Everyday he gets to immerse himself in the sport that he loves and talk about it for a living which to McElroy is one of the greatest things.
“I love doing what I am doing right now. People ask me if I ever want to get into coaching, but frankly being an analyst is my dream job. I’m so grateful to ESPN and the SEC Network and I’m excited to keep doing what I love,” McElroy said.