Daily Grind columns are are posted every Wednesday to provide an introduction into a day in the life of a college athlete and an example of time management skills.

The pinnacle of college football is being the captain of your team, especially at the Division I level. Alex Escobar is currently a redshirt sophomore running back at the New Mexico State University and is an example of someone who has not only reached this accomplishment, but has done so since beginning his career as a walk-on. To achieve something like this obviously requires a great deal of determination, perseverance, and focus. We asked Alex about his daily schedule and how he structures his day. Hopefully, we might get some insight into high-achieving mindset and adopt some of his strategies for ourselves.

Related school rating: New Mexico State University

5:45-6:30 AM

Alex wakes up, eats a light breakfast like a granola bar and a banana, brushes his teeth, and is off to the athletic facilities. He tries to get there early to get a good warm up so he's ready for the training session. 

6:30-7:45 AM

The team strength and conditioning session takes up this slot. Any general lifting, running, or plyometrics happens during this time. Alex prides himself on being one of the all-around most athletic players on the team, so he takes this part of his day very seriously.

Related: Day in the Life of Yale Football Player, Jaelin Alburg

7:45-9 AM

Alex ends his training session with thirty minutes of film time to get his mind right. After that, he heads back to the locker room, showers, and heads to campus for classes.

9:00-11:45 AM

This is class time for Alex. He has to take advantage of it because so much of his day is taken up by other things, so he makes sure to pay attention and absorb the information then and there the best he can.

11:45 AM-1:30 PM

Between this window of time, Alex has to grab lunch, head back to the athletic facilities, get taped and have his things ready for practice. If he's able to get all of these things done smoothly, he tries to fit in 10-15 minutes of homework or studying, but on most days he doesn't have enough time to do this.

Related: When to See Your Athletic Trainer

1:30-2:50 PM

This is when team meetings occur. The team goes over general house-keeping messages for the entire team, special teams meetings occur, then each side splits up to go over their game plans. This feels like more class time despite the topic being football.

3-5:30 PM

Alex goes to practice. Because he began his career as a walk-on, he had to always be the guy putting in the most effort and doing the most of the difficult work: this means things like special teams scout team. It can get frustrating while you're doing it, but it's rewarding in the end.

Related: Pros and Cons of Being a Walk-On

5:30-6:30 PM

Practices usually run over time and can get out as late as 5:50. After that, Alex heads back to the locker room, showers, and heads to team dinner. This is a great opportunity to bond with teammates and have a window of relaxation in the middle of your day.

6:30-7:30 PM

Alex has a short practice film session with his position group. They go over what they did well and could have done better during that specific day of practice. After that, Alex has a 1on1 film session with his position coach. This allows him to get an in-depth look at their opponent's film for that week, while also demonstrating that he is determined and committed to winning. It's doing things like this that earned him his position of captain and the award of a scholarship.

7:30-12AM

Alex has the rest of his day off from here. Being an engineering major, homework is going to be strenuous and take up a lot of time, so he spends much of his time here doing that. If he's able to get that done, he tries to find something to get his mind off of his busy schedule: maybe watch a movie or play some video games with his roommates, call home, or just listen to music. He usually tries to go to sleep by 12 AM at the latest to get some rest for his long day tomorrow.

Have a question you need answered or an idea of an athlete we should interview? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on December 15, 2021, by Isaac Haney