Ranch center fosters NFL dreams

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Joe Hills was only a sophomore in high school when he was told he was capable of playing at the next level.

Looking to help the young wide receiver better prepare himself, former Palmetto High coach Raymond Woodie gave Hills the address of a training facility in Lakewood Ranch and sent him on his way.

That evening, Hills met with Mike Gough, the owner of Athletic Edge Sports Performance Training Center. The two talked briefly and from that point on Hills began training to play at the next level.

“Ever since then, it’s been nothing but hard work,” Hills said. “I’ve been training here forever. This is basically my home away from home.”

After two years of intense training, Hills earned a scholarship to play football at the University of South Carolina. He spent two years playing wide receiver for the Gamecocks before transferring to Tennessee State University.

With his collegiate career behind him, Hills is once again focused on playing at the next level — this time in the National Football League.

Hills returned to Athletic Edge in December and has spent the past three-and-one-half months working on his speed and improving his form in preparation for his Pro Day March 24.

Since returning to Athletic Edge, Hills has been focused on his two goals: running a 4.5 40-yard dash and benching as close to 20 repetitions as he can.

“I wouldn’t want to train anywhere else,” Hills said. “Mike (Gough) got me to college and is (responsible) for most of my success in college.

“This is where is started, and hopefully this is where it ends for me,” Hills said. “I only want to do this once.”

Hills isn’t the only one training for the NFL at Athletic Edge. Since the college football season ended, Gough has trained about 15 players for either the NFL Combine or their individual Pro Days.

This past week, Michigan State offensive tackle J’Michael Deane flew down to train with Gough. Deane, who is still in school, started talking with Gough about seven months ago after hearing a lot of positive comments about his program.

Deane spent the week learning techniques to help him with the various drills, including the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle, among others, that he’ll have to perform during his Pro Day May 16.

“There are a whole bunch of different techniques that I’ve been shown that’ll help me improve my times on Pro Day,” Deane said. “It’s definitely a good spot to come and train. I’ve learned so much in one week. I would definitely recommend others to come here to train.”

When preparing for Pro Days and the NFL combine, Gough typically has his athletes arrive around 7:45 a.m. for their morning workout. Once their morning workout is complete, the players regenerate with supplements to help their bodies recover.

After the players have rested up, they return for an afternoon workout before eating lunch, regenerating some more and watching video of the day’s workouts before heading home.

“It’s very individual,” Gough said. “They’re here training to enhance their performance — whether it’s speed, strength, agility or power. I train how they move. The (goal) is to make the athlete move more efficiently.”

Even after the recent NFL lockout clouded the future of current and aspiring players, Gough said athletes still have a need for a training facility such as Athletic Edge.

Gough said a number of veteran players have been calling about training at the facility during the lockout. As for draft eligible players such as Hills and Deane, the uncertainty is larger.

“Draft eligible players will have to stay in shape and wait for things to be settled,” Gough said. “The (biggest) problem is undrafted players will not be able to sign with teams after the draft. So that’s a big unknown.

“The bottom line is they can’t control the CBA,” Gough said. “They can only get themselves in the best possible shape they can and not worry about things.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].