From Madden Player to NFL Pro

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Welcome back to the newsletter that loves feedback like this 👇

Thank you, Tracy, and the countless others who’ve sent me messages like this. It means the world to know our stories are making an impact.

In today’s email…He’d given up hope.

"I thought it was over."

With a broken foot, and no offers on the table, the window on his dream was all but closed.

Today, he says: “If I didn’t go through all that adversity, I don’t feel like I would be in the NFL today.”

Let’s dive in 👇

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From No College Offers & Working at Jimmy John’s to $36 Million NFL Running Back

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Years ago, Rhamondre Stevenson was one of the millions of teenagers playing the latest Madden NFL video game.

The summer after graduating high school, he sat in his room playing the game every day for hours – desperate for any type of football.

Back then, he never would’ve imagined he’d one day be playing the game as himself: the starting running back for the New England Patriots.

His journey to get here was anything but smooth.

As a kid, Rhamondre took a natural liking to football.

Growing up in Las Vegas, he spent a lot of time outdoors as one of seven kids. Along with his siblings and friends, he played basketball, skateboarded, dirtbiked, and raced.

But something about football just clicked.

Even at six years old, Rhamondre was a big, physical presence on the field. His combination of size, speed, and explosiveness made him stick out.

He initially only played football in the fall, but his mom Juran found a year-round program for him.

If he wasn’t playing football, he was miserable to everyone in the house.

By middle school, he was gaining attention for his size and skill. Once he got to high school, Rhamondre started to impress.

His breakout season was his junior year at Centennial High. He rushed for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns on 171 carries.

Stevenson was selected as the Las Vegas Sun’s High School Player of the Year. He gained attention from Boise State and Utah State, with both schools eager to offer him a scholarship.

But his poor grades meant he was automatically ineligible. 

The NCAA requires all student-athletes to maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA in core classes to play.

Rhamondre couldn’t sign any offers until he improved his performance in the classroom to keep up with his performance on the football field.

He took on the challenge head first, enrolling in nine adult education courses the summer before his senior year.

Stevenson kept a strict, grueling schedule dedicated to his studies (two or three three-hour courses daily) and football.

“We would wake up, eat breakfast, work out for the longest time, then we would go to our classes, do our summer school, go back to the house, study, and work out again.”

Unfortunately, he met more disappointment before any payoff. 

Despite all his hard work, Stevenson wasn’t able to raise his GPA and remained academically ineligible to play NCAA football.

Then, three games into his senior season, he broke his foot.

He missed the rest of the season, keeping him away from his favorite activity. The lost season sapped his motivation to succeed in the classroom.

He fell into a dark place.

“Yeah, the injury knocked me for a loop because, at that point, I had a lot of interest, but no offers. So after that happened, my grades slipped a little bit even more.”

Unaware of any way to save his football dreams, Stevenson began working at Walmart and the sandwich chain Jimmy John’s.

He earned about $10 an hour at Walmart and modest tips as a driver delivering sandwiches.

"I thought it was over. I’m not in college. I wasn’t a qualifier. What am I going to do?"

Stevenson spent close to two years away from football, working and playing Madden mostly, but not giving up hope.

“My husband and I, we talked about it a lot,” said his mom, Juran. “If that was us, we probably would have given up. Because he had to do a lot of work. I mean, it was a lot of work.”

But Rhamondre didn’t give up. He wasn’t afraid of the obstacles in his way.

His faith was rewarded in the form of a second chance.

At the time, Stevenson was clueless about junior college. He didn’t know it could potentially pave the way to play football at a major university until finding out through his peers.

Two of his close friends and teammates from high school enrolled at Cerritos College in northern California.

They encouraged him to join them so they could all play together like they used to as kids.

The option gave him renewed energy and the decision was an easy one. But making it all work was tough.

Stevenson had to navigate the financial costs of out-of-state tuition, rent, and other living expenses.

He had to deal with all of this without the help of a scholarship since junior colleges aren’t allowed to offer athletic scholarships. 

Fortunately, he got major assistance from his parents.

His mom worked two full-time jobs, juggling 72 hours a week to help cover the costs. When he offered to get a job to help, she refused so he could focus on school and football.

They even had to pull money out of their retirement accounts to pay the final invoices at Cerritos so Rhamondre could get his transcript. 

With the weight of his family’s sacrifices in mind, Stevenson had to ensure their toils wouldn’t be in vain.

"They believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Rhamondre said.

"Them always pushing me to be great, telling me I could actually do it, and putting that thought in my head, it made me believe it at one point."

He started the season at the bottom of the depth chart, stuck behind three older running backs.

Rhamondre mainly played on special teams, but he didn’t let his opportunities go to waste. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry despite only getting 68 carries all season. 

Stevenson maintained a strong work ethic and focus, despite less than ideal circumstances.

He would bike 20 minutes each day to and from practice since the car he’d driven around Vegas wouldn’t have made it to California. And he slept on the sofa in a two-bedroom apartment with as many as six other guys.

“Now, looking back on it, it was one of the most fun parts of my life,” Stevenson said.

“But going through it, it was very tough. You had to be mentally tough, extremely mentally tough, to get through two years of doing that.”

His mindset and discipline paid off in his second season at Cerritos. 

Rhamondre racked up 2,111 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 9.4 yards per carry.

His electrifying play made him the number one ranked junior college running back and caught the eyes of multiple Division 1 schools like Oklahoma. 

The Sooners showed the strongest and most enduring interest in him. He committed to head to Norman but got to the team late in the spring to finish classes for his associate’s degree.

Similar to Cerritos, he started on kickoff coverage.

But Stevenson never sulked about it or missed a chance to make an impression when he got to play.

He led the team in tackles on special teams that season. Stevenson also rushed for a touchdown in each of the first five games of the year, even though he had to share time in the backfield again.

His second season was delayed due to a six-game suspension for a positive marijuana test along with two other teammates. 

But, as is his signature, he burst onto the scene in style. 

He rushed for 665 yards and seven touchdowns in six games. 

Rhamondre saved his best for last. The most productive game of his college career came in his last one. 

He was named Outstanding Offensive Player of the Cotton Bowl against tenth-ranked Florida. 

The Sooners crushed the Gators 55-20, led by the unrelenting power and speed of their star running back. Stevenson rushed for a career-high 186 yards and a touchdown, including a season-high 50-yard run. 

His breakout performance in that game and in his time with Oklahoma put him on the NFL’s watch list.

The Patriots liked what they saw and drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft (120th overall).

Stevenson rushed for over 1,000 yards in his second season in New England, setting up his big payday in the 2024 offseason, when he signed a four-year, $36 million extension.

Even though he’s established himself in the league, Stevenson never forgot the lessons learned in his journey to the NFL.

He makes sure to reflect on the times when things looked bleak, sitting at home playing Madden just wishing he could play the real game.

“All the adversity I went through, I feel like it was the only reason I’m here today.”

“Enough to tell my story because I took that chance and just bet on myself. And if I didn’t go through all that adversity, I don’t feel like I would be in the NFL today.”

🐶 

Today’s story was written by our friend, Rodney Reeves. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend!

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Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

👀 In case you missed it: After his only college offer was ripped away, this scrappy 150-pound receiver beat the odds to reach the NFL.

😯 “Not the place I planned to spend my weekend.” Australian Football League forward Gary Rohan made a shocking return to training just a week after having emergency surgery on his fractured skull.

🙋‍♂️ I’d love your feedback on my merch designs. Is there a quote or slogan you want to see? Hit reply and let me know.

🌟 Trivia Answer: Brandon Aubrey (43 total points). Here’s how he went from software engineer to top NFL kicker.