Coach Steve Hagen – The Man Behind the NFL Academy

I had the pleasure last week of talking to Coach Steve Hagen with my colleagues at College Football UK. Coach Hagen is the Head Coach of the NFL Academy.

I wrote a piece on the discussion for the AAW Network site which can be found here.

The NFL Academy is essentially a UK college based in Loughborough, England, for student athletes aged 16 to 18. It recruits young players from across the world (21 countries have been represented) based on athletic potential rather than football experience. Some players arrive having very little experience in the sport.

The Academy’s purpose is to develop those players academically and athletically, getting them NCAA eligible so they can transition directly into American college football programmes. Coach Hagen summarises the model in three words: come, grow, go.

Since Coach Hagen took charge, 49 players have been placed into American college football in three years. The broader ambition is clear: to build a credible, sustainable international pipeline into the highest levels of American football.

This was a great discussion and taught me so much about what the NFL Academy does. The future of the young hopefuls is in good hands.