If you are reading this story, you probably don’t know who it is about. And if you think that is going to hurt who this is about, then you definitely don’t know who this story is about. But if you do know whose name that is in the title of this article, then you laughed at that first statement. Joel Blumenthal is his name and you better get used to hearing it.
We will get to Blumenthal having the chance to go pro, but first I think you need to know what kind of person and player he is. Not only is he a great football player, he is an even better person. The guy from Edmond, OK, who went to Butler Community College in El Dorado, KS and then to Northwestern State University in Louisiana at the NCAA Division I level, and finally back home to Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He always made the best of his situation and took every opportunity he could get to prove himself on and off the field.
I was able to interview Blumenthal in between all the training and preparing and I asked him where this dream began and he told me that it was really back in his high school days at Deer Creek. He was a quarterback from high school all the way up until his senior year at SWOSU, where he made the switch to wide receiver after the spring. I had the privilege to play with him at SWOSU and learn a lot from him. Everything from working hard to perfect your craft, how to handle major and minor adversity, to dealing with frustrations that football throws at you.
“I saw myself with this opportunity (chance to play professionally), just not at the wide receiver position, but God works in ways you don’t always understand at first. I couldn’t be happier about the position I am in.”
Blumenthal, as mentioned earlier, went out of state to Kansas to play football at Butler Community College and then on to Northwestern State in Louisiana. He hadn’t thought about SWOSU as an opportunity. He was recruited by Dan Cocannouer, who was the head coach for SWOSU nine years starting back in 2008, but never saw Weatherford as home. Coach Cocannouer called him after he left Northwestern State and told him that he had a spot for him.
During his first year at SWOSU he injured his hand after running the ball in the third game of the 2017 season against Southern Arkansas which put him out for the remainder of the year. He was able to regain a year of eligibility with a medical redshirt and come back for his final year of college. During that spring he could tell that the chance of him playing quarterback was slim, but knowing Joel he wasn’t going to let that stop him.
“I never saw myself coming to SWOSU, but I did get to play with my best friend (Jared Rayburn) again. I also was able to play with Austin Loomis and Tyler Follis who are also some of my closest friends. We all graduated from Deer Creek together in 2013 and that is something I will always cherish.”
After the spring of 2018 he made the switch to receiver. When I asked him about the transition from quarterback to receiver, he told me that it was less mentally challenging and more physically challenging.
“The receiver position is truly a craft, and your body has to be in prime shape at all times.”
Blumenthal is a speedster. He ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash time at his pro day, which I will get to shortly, and it showed early on in the season that fall. The first game against Arkansas Monticello, the second play from scrimmage, SWOSU ran a trick play and Blumenthal faked a block, and then took off for a 46-yard catch and score for the first touchdown of the season. He would only improve throughout the season and made several big plays at key moments for the Dawgs.
Now, moving on to after his senior year, Blumenthal had his eyes set for a shot at the pros. To him, and people close to him, it was never not an option. He was going to prove that he could do it, and every opportunity he saw, he took.
“It was never a question. I knew that I would be a long shot, and that most people don’t see it, but that is what makes it fun! As long as I had it in my heart, I was going to go for it.”
He was given the opportunity to work out with some truly great professionals in Oklahoma and Texas. In McKinney, TX he worked with Michael Johnson who trains NFL and several college athletes trying to compete at the next level. Blumenthal even had the chance to work out with Kyler Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Oklahoma, in Texas and also at Oklahoma’s pro day back in March. When I asked him how training was going, he told me it was going well and that he had been getting better every day. He was also dealing with an ankle injury and it slowed him down a bit, but he never stopped perfecting his craft.
“My injury had no affect on me mentally. I have dealt with so many things throughout my career, and this was just another obstacle I knew I would overcome.”
That is the difference between him and so many other players. He is so focused mentally and lets almost nothing get to him. So, what if he has a minor injury, he can keep his mind sharp which, nowadays, is half of the game.
“Pro day at Oklahoma was awesome. Every NFL team was there, a live broadcast. Moments you live for.”
At his pro day he ran the fastest 40-yard dash time, at The University of Oklahoma’s pro day, with a 4.5 second time. He benched pressed 225 13 times. Had a 9’-9” broad jump and a 31 ½” vertical jump. When he ran routes for Murray, who by the way gunned nearly 100 footballs to a very small number of receivers, didn’t have a single drop. Had several impressive catches and had only one ball slightly overthrown. People at the pro day were very impressed and his name was spreading like a wildfire.
If you want to check out his pro day highlights here is a link to watch the video.
After his big day, he has continued to work hard, just waiting for the next opportunity.
“I have continued training and preparing. I am not there yet, and I am still far from where I want to be. But I will be ready, that is for sure!”
No matter what happens in the next few months, keep your eyes and ears open for the name Joel Blumenthal. Oh, and another thing, don’t doubt him. That is only going to push him to work harder and prove something that he knew all along, that he is worth the shot.
“Have Faith and Always Believe”
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