RICHLAND – When the door he looked for didn’t materialize, 20-year-old Tanner Maddocks created his own.
Maddocks had excelled on the football squad at his small high school in central Pennsylvania. During his time there, he was nominated for Berks County Player of the Year, and earned all-county honors and first team all-division accolades as a defensive back, on a path he hoped would lead to the NFL.
Still, the next step, a Division 1 college squad, meant Maddocks needed a competitive edge to stand out.
However, “when I went to find a trainer to help me [get to the next level], I couldn’t find one that fit my style or budget,” he explained.
Undeterred, he began studying the training and performance methods of current college football stars, and created his own training packages that emulated their practices.
His adaptability worked. Today, Maddocks is a sophomore redshirt at Villanova University, suiting up as the backup quarterback for the Division 1 Wildcats.
As well, when not on the field, classroom, or preparing for the birth of his first child, Maddocks is busy sharing the wealth of knowledge he has gained as the founder of Athlete Squared. With this video training app that allows young athletes to learn from college athletes anywhere in the world, Maddocks has left the door open for others.
Maddocks shared his story, and the importance of staying focused on dreams, with the school community at Saint Augustine Preparatory School on Oct. 28.
His visit came as part of the school’s Veritas Speakers Series and Innovation and Experiential Learning Initiative, which invites industry professionals and thought leaders to share their expertise and inspire students with real-world success stories.
“If there’s a change you want to see, why can’t you be that change?” he asked the eighth- to 12th-grade students in a series of challenging queries.
“If you weren’t worried about failing, how high would you go? What would you do differently?”
In preparing for their own futures, he said, it’s important not to focus immediately on the end goal, but the next steps needed to get there – in his case, attending a Division 1 college to advance his NFL dream.
“How do you break your goals into small, actionable steps? Do that, and you’ll take the right path, and move toward your goals,” Maddocks said.
He urged the students to never forget how fortunate they are to attend an Augustinian school, surrounded by God. “Have faith in God, yourself and each other.”
“I saw myself with gifts in football, given by God,” he told the students, faculty and staff. “I didn’t want to waste what He’s given me.”
Athlete Squared, which launched last May, has already attracted the interest of more than 1,300 athletes across the country.
Its online, subscription-based marketplace not only allows young athletes high-quality, affordable content to hone their skills, but provides some of the revenue garnered with those content creator athletes who are posting their training on the platform.
Joshua Gatesman, a Saint Augustine senior, said he was interested to hear about young entrepreneurs and Athlete Squared. Gatesman is president of the school’s DECA Club, which helps students develop business skills and participate in leadership opportunities. He was encouraged by Maddocks’ persistence and belief in goals.
“If you commit to your dream, and take little steps forward, you’ll get there,” Gatesman said.
Denise Donaghy, director of Experiential Learning, Innovative Teaching, & Entrepreneurship at the school, called Maddocks’ visit “a game-changer” for students to hear from “a Division I athlete who is also a young man of faith, speak to our young men as they apply for college.”
“We know that our young men will be change-makers, so we want to equip them with the tools to be immediately actionable in their communities when they go out to do good,” she said.
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