LSU Defensive End Justin Maclin Prepares for Post-Football Career
The reality of the real world will hit everyone at some point in time. What do I want to do? Who do I want to be? These are all questions everyone deals with and this is especially true for those who choose to play football professionally.
Statistically speaking, the average length of a career for an NFL player is only about three years. Unless you are Aaron Rodgers or Calvin Johnson, life after football will almost certainly be tough. The brutal process and realization of this new life doesn’t hit most players until after their career is over. Many collegiate players are only looking towards a career in sports as opposed to a degree and a long-term job after their playing days in college. However, LSU defensive end Justin Maclin is one player who is already planning for life after football.
Maclin was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in Memphis, Tenn. He received offers from Alabama, USC and Tennessee but ultimately decided on LSU. He competed for playing time with Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo and Lavar Edwards before he suffered a torn patellar tendon early in his career. That injury would be the one motivating factor to help Maclin realize that football might not be in his long-term future.
“I feel like when you come to LSU, of course you plan on going to the NFL and try and go to the next level. After I had a knee injury, I started to think about what I would like to do if I couldn’t play football,” explained Maclin. “I started to think I wanted to be the athletic director on some type of level.”
In the summer, Maclin reached out to former LSU player and Senior Associate Athletic Director Verge Ausberry about job shadowing and helping him find his career path. “It was something that I’ve thought about since I’ve been here. I figured I would go talk to him and see what he does around the city and around the school,” said Maclin.
“I really wanted to see what kind of person he was before we let him into the athletic department meetings,” said Ausberry. “But Justin is a fine young man. He graduated early and got his degree. He has a lot of options out there.”
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Maclin works with Ausberry on a day-to-day basis. He goes to workout sessions and classes in the morning and then meets with Ausberry until lunch. He goes over football scheduling and sits in on meetings in the president’s office as well as governmental relations meetings.
“I learn something new every day,” said Maclin. “I get to meet all these new people in this business. You don’t normally get to see what goes on from the other side. It’s a whole different type of entity.”
Since he is still a player, Maclin cannot get paid for his internship. He isn’t getting a grade for his work either, but the experience he is gaining and the relationships he is forging are just as important.
“Athletics is not a true profession. It’s not a true career. That is something you do on a short-term basis and you can accumulate a lot of wealth if you’re a great player. But when you retire you’re still a young person, so what are you going to do then to maintain it?” asked Ausberry. “It’s fortunate for him to realize that football is coming to an end. Not many guys have the opportunity that he has.”
With his internship, Maclin has been able to get a glimpse on the operations of the athletic department. He has visited Marketing, Sports Information, the Ticket Office and other areas of the department to see what interests him. So far, Sports Information seems to appeal to him.
“The person I’m probably closest with other than Verge is (Sports Information Director) Michael Bonnette,” said Maclin. “It’s really interesting learning about the media part of sports. It’s not as strict as what Verge does.”
“He’s just out there searching and trying to find himself like most college kids,” said Ausberry. “This is a business, but bottom line we are educators in an educational institution. And that was my role to help him to make sure if this is something that he wants to do.”
Maclin is planning on attending graduate school and he one day hopes to receive his MBA. When he looks back on his career at LSU, he regrets nothing.
“I’ve met so many people that have done different things,” said Maclin. “I can’t think of a bad person I’ve met. Despite playing time and all, I’m glad I came here.”