Local football players work in 'off-season' with Prairie View legend

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In football, there is no off-season.

"I just have to leave no doubt. I don't want to be a regular football player," incoming Crawford junior, Jaemon Hamilton, said.

"I just have super high hopes, and the only thing I can do is work as hard as I can," Memorial incoming senior Jacob Luby said.

While most high school and college students are off and on vacation during the summer, the athletes who want to make an impact this season are working.

"Off-season really determines if you really want it or not," Kilgore College QB Deuce Barrington said.

When asked how much he's doing some sort of football activity, Memorial senior Max Costa said, "Almost every day."

"Practicing every single day will help me become a better playmaker throughout the season and reach my goals of being a starter," Memorial junior Abram Tovar said.

To help achieve goals for the upcoming season and beyond, locals are working with trainer Jerome Howard of Dynamic Performance Development.

"Understand that the real competition is the man in the mirror," Howard said.

All of these players want to get to where Coach Jerome has been.

"Former Division I athlete, four-year starter, three-time All-Conference, two-time all-American SWAC Defensive Player of the Year," Howard said when asked about all he accomplished on the field as a Prairie View player. "Current record holder for career tackles at Prairie View A&M University, current record holder for career tackles for loss, and the youngest inductee into the Prairie View A&M Sports Hall of Fame.

Amazing credentials, but Coach Jerome is teaching lessons that extend beyond the football field.

"I've lost over 80 pounds. I'm into a whole new position, transitioning from offensive line to linebacker," John Mayfield of St. Francis Episcopal said. "So yeah, this work in the summer is essential. It doesn't just stop at football; it goes in how you work for the rest of your life."

Coach Jerome is laying the foundation, and the athletes are working hard.

"I'm always trying to get these guys to go to a different place mentally and just to do everything they can to resist comfort," he said.