How is an XFL player showing Fort Worth high school athletes anything is possible?
Former Fort Worth Trimble Tech football star Jonathan Alexander is showing athletes the wide range of possibilities life has to offer.
Alexander, 23, currently plays for the St. Louis Battlehawks, an XFL team. He said the XFL provides players with a platform to showcase their talents and improve their abilities.
“It’s a good time to get evaluated,” Alexander said. “A good time to, you know, play ball against some really good players.”
Alexander is no stranger to the road less traveled. He started his collegiate career at Kilgore Junior College and earned an offer from Kansas State university.
After two seasons with the Wildcats, Alexander transferred to the Charlotte 49ers, where he tallied 57 total tackles and a team high two interceptions.
His performance gave him an opportunity at the next level. In 2022, Alexander signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago Bears and played two preseason games.
“I had to defeat the odds,” Alexander said. “A lot of people had doubts about who I am as a person and as a young man, and I just continued to grow.”
Of course, football is a big part of Alexander’s life. However, he said his mentality off the field set him up for success.
Alexander’s Athletics
Alexander started a nonprofit organization, Alexander’s Athletics, to show young athletes the plethora of opportunities they have on and off the field. He took some of the athletes to the XFL combine at Choctaw Stadium, home of the XFL World Champions, the Arlington Renegades.
Alexander started the non-profit to give back to the Fort Worth community and has one main message for the student athletes:
“Know who you are before the world tells you who you are,” Alexander said.
Alexander preaches being a good friend and neighbor in your community. On Tuesday, he visited his alma mater, Fort Worth Trimble Tech High School, to talk to the players and coaches.
Alexander said many individuals who reach success and stardom forget about their upbringing. He said no matter where life takes him he will “show love to the city.”
Saginaw Chisholm Trail safety Matthias Leach, Alexander’s cousin, is involved in Alexander’s Athletics. He said Alexander showcases that achieving what you put your mind to is possible, regardless of the goal or path taken.
Alexander has provided Leach and other athletes with opportunities to talk with XFL and NFL executives. He said his goal is to showcase that success can be achieved in plenty of professions and manners, even if it’s off the football field.
They even met Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a movie star and part owner of the XFL.
Johnson went undrafted in 1995 after playing college football at the University of Miami. Now, he is a superstar with 388 million Instagram followers.
“These dudes are normal,” Leach said. “They are just like us.”
Alexander said he constantly reminds the individuals involved his non profit that “life is bigger than football.” He said if athletes focus on off the field development, goals on the field will become easier.
“We’re just trying to create opportunities that I didn’t have growing up,” Alexander said. “I had the vision years and years ago and just to be able to see it all come to fruition is a blessing.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 9:28 AM.
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