Regardless of what happens with NFL tryout, Alstevis Squirewell is good to go

Dry rub chicken wings might have nudged Alstevis Squirewell’s football future in the direction of the NFL.

The former Great Falls Red Devil and Newberry Wolves standout was at the Beyond Sports Network combine in Indianapolis - a showcase for lesser known college prospects held in the shadow of the bigger NFL draft event - when he got a hankering for some wings. He headed downstairs to his hotel’s restaurant and ordered a batch.

Talking on the phone with his girlfriend, Kiona, Squirewell noticed a familiar face seated next to him: Howie Long, Jr., son of the former Oakland Raiders great and a scout for the same organization.

Kiona said into her boyfriend’s ear, “You need to do something.”

Squirewell told her he loved her and hung up the phone.

“I took a deep breath...” he said.

Thirty minutes after last weekend’s NFL Draft had concluded, the Green Bay Packers contacted Squirewell’s agent with a tryout offer. He’ll travel to Wisconsin Thursday for the Packers’ four-day rookie mini-camp.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s crazy having your dream right in front of you.”

So far down the line the kid won’t ever make it

Squirewell was a terror at defensive end for Newberry, racking up 30.5 tackles-for-loss the last two seasons at the Division II school.

But his shot with the Packers comes as a fullback. At 6-foot-1, 260 pounds, Squirewell is too short to play defensive line in the NFL. He’s the perfect size to plug a blocking gap.

“He’s not a bulky defensive lineman; he can move and he’s got great speed for his size, and the thing that people don’t realize is the kid’s got really good hands,” said Newberry coach Todd Knight, who calls his standout “Squirrel.” “He’s the kind of guy that can be that hard-nosed fullback for you, get those ugly yards, but also leak him out into the flats. I think it’s a perfect fit for him.”

Squirewell was a thousand-yard rusher his senior year at Great Falls and Newberry recruited him as a fullback.

“I was overlooked coming out of Great Falls,” he said. “I thought maybe the NFL would do the same.”

The NFL’s recent cold shoulder to the fullback position raised the odds against Squirewell even more; only about 10 teams carry one on their roster. But Knight wasn’t surprised his player will get a shot.

“Division II, changing positions, so far down the line the kid won’t ever make it...,” said Knight, rattling off the obstacles. “I think Squirewell thrives when he hear things like that.”

A win over Tusculum last fall showcased Squirewell’s offensive potential.

He broke his hand on the second snap from scrimmage but wouldn’t come out of the game. The trainer took him in early before halftime to bandage his hand and Squirewell emerged with a club covering his entire mitt, fingers included.

But he nabbed a second half interception, skipping through the quarterback’s tackle and running it back for a touchdown that gave Newberry the lead for good. He played the rest of the season with the club cast, earning first team All-South Atlantic Conference honors.

Squirewell’s highlights from the Tusculum game:

Squirrel

Squirewell’s outgoing nature may have been his most important trait during the NFL audition process.

Knight called Squirewell “an outstanding young man and a heck of a leader.” He was a member of Newberry’s Order of the Gray Stripe, a handful of influential players that wear a gray stripe on their helmets and are considered an extension of the coaching staff. Everyone around campus - from most of the school’s 1,000 students to janitors and cafeteria workers - know Squirrel.

“He was a hit walking around campus,” said Knight.

Squirewell didn’t sit back and wait for NFL teams to find him, instead taking a pile of 70 scouts’ cards and emailing each one his information and highlights. Five replied.

Squirewell participated in a regional NFL combine in New Orleans in March. Newberry’s pro day later that month was a bust because Georgia’s was held the same day, but Squirewell got a break when he and a teammate were invited to the pro day at Coastal Carolina on April 1.

It rained the entire time in Conway, again lessening the impact the event could have on Squirewell’s NFL chances. The day was salvaged, though, when a San Diego Chargers scout took him out to dinner - chicken wings again! - an indication that NFL interest was in fact real. With things heating up, Squirewell signed with the Turner Brothers, an agency out of Woodruff.

Proudest day

Maybe most important, Squirewell took full advantage of the chance meeting with Howie Long, Jr.

The pair talked about fullbacks, their role in the modern game, and Squirewell’s NFL preparations. They exchanged emails and Long, Jr., sent Squirewell’s highlight clips to other scouts around the league. The Raiders had a different scout at the Coastal Carolina pro day and he commended Squirewell for speaking up a month earlier in Indianapolis.

Squirewell will graduate with a teaching degree and a minor in coaching. He’ll teach P.E. and coach at Great Falls if football doesn’t work out. Whether he ends up a Packer or a teacher, Squirewell will be able to take care of his two sons, four-year-old Cameron and 11-month-old Alstevis Jr., and girlfriend - “future wife” - Kiona.

“The kid - in my eyes - has made it,” said Knight. “He has a college degree and an opportunity to make it in life.”

Squirewell was supposed to graduate on Saturday, a short walk across a stage that his mother had been anticipating for many years. There may still be a party, but the guest of honor won’t be there. What would have been the proudest day of Squirrel’s life has been usurped by an even greater accomplishment.

“He’s been proving everybody wrong all the way up to this point,” said Knight. “So my advice to everybody out there? Don’t bet against him.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Regardless of what happens with NFL tryout, Alstevis Squirewell is good to go."