‘He’s super athletic.’ Inside OU’s Neville Gallimore combine prep at The Star in Frisco
Oklahoma’s Neville Gallimore is generating buzz at this week’s NFL combine. Most expect him to put up “freakish” numbers for a 6-foot-2, 304-pound defensive tackle.
Gallimore bench presses 500 pounds, squats 800 pounds and ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dash last year. If he replicates that 40-yard time this week, his draft stock will continue to rise.
That, of course, is the hope for Gallimore. He’s been preparing for the combine tests at the Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco, working with veteran strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish.
“Neville’s done a tremendous job,” said Fish, who is the vice president of athlete healthcare at the facility. “He’s certainly an athletic defensive tackle. He’s very explosive, very quick, super athletic. He’s a guy who is going to cause some problems playing on the inside just because of how sudden he is, how quickly he can get off the ball and put pressure and stress on the offensive line.
“He’s relentless as well, even on drills. The guy works hard. You’re going to have to block him for the entire play.”
It’s that mindset and drive that could push Gallimore into the first round of the NFL Draft. He had a solid senior season for Oklahoma, helping it to another Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff berth.
Gallimore finished with career-highs in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (four). He went on to have a solid showing at the Senior Bowl, and has been training well for this week’s combine.
Gallimore is the headliner for the first “combine class” at the BSW Sports Performance Center. He’s one of 12 aspiring NFL players training with Fish and his staff.
Fish brings a unique perspective to combine training given his history, spending time working with NFL teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders. He’s conducted combine tests as well as sat in on team interviews.
Outside of the physical training, Fish is ensuring the players are prepared for the interview and off-field portions of combine and pro days as well.
“We’re just trying to put these guys’ heads at ease to get them comfortable with the entire process,” Fish said.
Along with Gallimore, another notable player who’s been training at The Star is North Texas defensive end/ linebacker LaDarius Hamilton. Hamilton is coming off a season in which he led the Mean Green with 8.5 sacks and seven QB hurries.
Hamilton then had a solid showing at the East-West Shrine Game, registering a sack and two QB hurries in the game. He’ll look to continue making a name for himself this week in Indianapolis.
“He’s improved a bunch,” Fish said. “I’m really excited for him because I know he’s on a lot more radars than maybe he was in early December. Somebody is going to land a guy who is very coachable. He can plug in at a lot of places because he’s a bigger linebacker at 260 pounds who can run around.
“As far as a roster spot and what he can bring as a linebacker and special teamer, he brings a lot of value.”
The NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
