Now South Tyrol's first NFL player speaks: "It's a dream"

When we reached the 21-year-old by phone in Orlando, he had just finished other interviews. No wonder: Anyone who has a contract in the NFL is in demand. “I like to make time for the media at home,” emphasizes Pircher. As mentioned at the beginning, he set a milestone and was the first South Tyrolean ever to open the door to one of the four largest US sports leagues. A goal that has now been achieved, but seemed miles away a year ago. It all started with participating in the Pathway Program. Rapid rise From Schwäbisch Hall, where the first selection was made, Pircher flew to Florida on February 1st to work at the IMG Academy with ten other program participants: “We trained all day,” emphasizes Pircher. In addition to the usual strength training and speed exercises, Pircher took a lot of time to watch videos of plays that exist thousands of times in the NFL. After around two months, the economics student left the academy in Bradenton and set up camp in Orlando, also in Florida. “There I tried to maintain the same rhythm as at the IMG Academy. In addition to studying, I continued to work hard on myself with the offensive line coach because you never knew when the decision would be made.”

She fell these days and rewarded four of the eleven PP participants. Pircher describes how he found out about his good fortune: “Rams head coach Sean McVay and his offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell called and announced their decision.” The same Sean McVay, who is described in football circles as a mastermind and despite his He has only been one of the best coaches in the league for 35 years. “Of course I had a lot of fun,” reports Pircher. Would he have expected it? “No, they scouted 1000 athletes from all over the world and ultimately only accepted eleven into the Pathway Program. That means we were all at a top level. So you can never be sure. “But I did what was in my power and I’m now overjoyed that I did it,” says the left tackle happily. “My friend was so happy when she heard it was LA” Pircher won the lottery with the Los Angeles Rams. “When you think of America, Los Angeles or New York immediately come to mind. It's a Dream. My girlfriend was also really happy when she heard that it was LA,” says the South Tyrolean. Not only is the location perfect, but also the organization. She is one of the best in the league, says Pircher. And not just because Sean McVay is in charge. “I can learn a lot from players like Andrew Whitworth, who has so much experience. “Aaron Donald (probably the best defensive tackle in the league, editor’s note) is also really raising the level of training,” he enthuses. Contract not yet signed Pircher will be flying to Los Angeles next week to begin preparing for the season with the team of around 90 people. The goal is to get into the 53-man playing squad, said Pircher. If he doesn't succeed, he will be “demoted” to the practice squad. From there, Pircher, who will sign a three-year contract in the next few days, could be “activated” at any time. However, anyone who has made it this far can definitely take the next step and make their NFL debut in the new season.

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Now South Tyrol's first NFL player speaks: "It's a dream"

He made local sports history on Tuesday, became the first South Tyrolean to make it into the NFL and could hardly believe his luck after his commitment to the Los Angeles Rams became known: Maximilian Pircher.

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Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Now South Tyrol's first NFL player speaks: "It's a dream"

He made local sports history on Tuesday, became the first South Tyrolean to make it into the NFL and could hardly believe his luck after his commitment to the Los Angeles Rams became known: Maximilian Pircher.

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