The busiest time of the year so far has passed! After a long couple of months, we are finally getting back to normal life – at least for a little while.
As many of you may know, two and a half weeks ago, Maj flew into Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. This event was the biggest audition he has ever had and the culmination of all the hard work he put in while he was in California. NFL scouts and coaches were there to watch the 330 players who were invited. He finally got to show his stuff!
During the first few days after he arrived, he participated in many different activities. After long days of measurements and medical evaluations, he would participate in interviews and meetings with NFL teams who were interested in him. His days would start as early as 5:00 am and many of them lasted until midnight.
On Thursday, the physical tests began with the bench press. Each player lifted a bar weighing 225 pounds as many times as they could. Samajé was able to complete 30 reps. This was more than every other running back and most linemen at the Combine. Still, though, when I heard that number, I was confused. He had been able to complete 35 reps in high school, and I knew for a fact he has only gained strength since then. It all made sense, then, when his agent called me and told me that he had hurt his pectoral muscle on rep 26.
At this point, we were worried. No one knew exactly how serious the injury was, whether the muscle was pulled or just strained. There was even the possibility that if it was bad enough, he could potentially not be allowed to participate in the workouts the next day. This would have been the worst possible outcome, as he would have missed the opportunity to demonstrate the abilities he had just spent months improving.
Luckily, his injury turned out to be just a strain, and he was cleared to go the next morning. From this point, he completed the rest of the physical tests, including the vertical jump, the broad jump, and the 40-yard dash. Even watching from home, I could tell his pec was bothering him. He was not able to do as well as he had hoped on the 40, but he still had a great day.
As soon as his Combine work was complete, he hopped on a plane to fly back to Norman. I picked him up from the airport around 11 pm that night, and we went home so he could be reunited with Moose. He was so happy to see his dad!
Five short days later, Oklahoma’s Pro Day came around. For those of you who may not follow these things closely (like me, until recently), Pro Day is similar to the Combine, but on a smaller scale. Each college hosts their own event, and scouts and media come to watch the players work out just like at the Combine.
Maj had another successful day, improving on his 40 time and doing great in his running back workouts. I also had a successful day, as I got to hang out with some of the cutest babies around. (I absolutely love the little ones. 🙂 ) We were also able to spend some time in Norman with Samajé’s parents and agent. It’s always fun when our people come in from out of town!
After Pro Day was over, I had to buckle down. I had FOUR exams within the next 24 hours, after which I was getting on a plane to California. Samajé was returning to California the next day as well on an earlier flight. After an incredibly long week, we were beyond ready to spend several days in the Golden State!
The trip was quite eventful and SO fun! Keep an eye out for my next post; it will be coming soon!
<3 Meg
Awesome and quite interesting. It nice to hear the story from the inside rather than just imagining what goes on. Much like reading a book, but you know it’s true. Sincerely happy for you both for getting to experience something really exceptional. 😎 You write so well, it seems like a book!
Awesome and quite interesting. It nice to hear the story from the inside rather than just imagining what goes on. Much like reading a book, but you know it’s true. Sincerely happy for you both for getting to experience something really exceptional. 😎 You write so well, it seems like a book!