In the first couple months of each year, Los Gatans watch as tall young men march past the library in athletic attire, towards Cal Strength. That’s because the facility, owned by David Spitz, has been a training ground for college football players on the verge of making the NFL.
In order to get drafted, players must first compete in the league’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. But for a brief period, Los Gatos hosts these promising athletes, thanks to amenities from Cal Strength, The Club at Los Gatos, Los Gatos High School—and now Parkside Restaurant.
A Balancing Act
Thirteen aspiring pro players have been frequenting the gym at the space along Main Street that used to house a Ferrari dealership.
“The Combine is when you have graduated, and is held at the beginning of March in Indianapolis for a couple days,” said Michael Harrison, from the University of Colorado, describing what lies ahead in two short months. “You run your 40-yard dash, you do a vertical jump, you bench 225, you got the broad jump, the 20-yard shuttle. Big focus on interviewing by scouts, coaches and media personnel.”
Harrison explains the Combine as “sort of like your final audition for a professional team.”
Tristan Sinclair—aka Linebacker #8—says the schedule is quite grueling. “It’s very challenging. It’s a struggle, because you have a full-time job as a college player.”
It’s a demanding 7am-11pm program. “Wake up, grab breakfast, get treatment, go to meetings for an hour and a half, get a lift in, grab a snack; go to class, get lunch on the go, then second class; back at the facility to get ankles taped; then more meetings for an hour and half; then practice for two hours; then post-practice; then you get more treatment like the cold tub, then dinner by 8pm,” he said. “Go home and do homework; and then watch practice on film, and watch the opponents’ team from the week before.”
(Faizi Samadani / Los Gatan)
Balancing education and a career can be daunting, as it is, but there’s also a family that these boys leave behind to make it all work out for them. Joseph Vaughn, from Yale and UCLA, describes the lengths his family went to make sure he wouldn’t fumble. “Yes, I got homesick,” he admitted. “I think when I was at Yale in the beginning there were times where I felt homesick, but I think the culture and the bonds led me to feel like that was my new home.”
Vaughn’s parents have been quite helpful. “My last two seasons, they ended up temporarily moving there through the season,” he said. “They did that just to support me, to come to all my games.” Vaughn grew up in San Jose but has a history in Los Gatos, as he went to Hillbrook School from kindergarten to 8th grade. He says academics were always a priority in his family.
More Than the Game
These players maintain the love for the game, and they have to balance this with their love for significant others. Jermaine Terry of Oregon State, who’s been in his current relationship for five years, says you have to treat it like a partnership. “If you value a person enough, then no matter what the circumstances are, you will always make it work,” he said. “Being in a long-distance relationship during those two years when I was at Oregon State came with difficulties, but it allows you to grow independently.”
While he was pursuing football, his girlfriend managed to make the honor roll at UC Berkeley.
“We both got to grow on our own,” he said. “We make it work.”
Meanwhile, Terry was pursuing something he’d been aiming at since middle school.
“It’s every kid’s dream to go pro,” he said. “I wanted to take the pressure off of my mother due to getting a scholarship.”
A football career can only take even the best up to a certain point. These players are working toward a successful path off the field. Some go for a master’s degree. “I’m thinking of becoming a firefighter or going into medical sales,” said Peter Montini, of the University of Nevada and Colorado State, describing his post-football aspirations. “I’ve been playing football my whole life, so, being a firefighter, you’re with a team—and I’m used to that. Medical sales like the student athletes is what I’ve heard.”
The Journey
From Oregon, to Colorado, to Georgia—and now to Los Gatos—preparing for the draft is also about building anticipation for a new home somewhere.
The players dive into their love of football.
And this, in turn, exposes them to different cultural experiences along the way.
Keleki Latu, of the University of Washington, is following a path to the pros blazed by a sibling.
“I have an older brother that plays for the Colts,” he said. “He’s always been a role model for me as a kid. I want to follow in his footsteps and I would like to play with him—or against him. That’s a dream of mine.” As a tight end, he looks up to Rob Gronkowski. “I like to play physical and aggressive, so I see that in him.”
Californian life is brand new for many of these players. Stanford University’s Jacob Mangum-Farrar grew up in Texas and got to play at multiple universities. He says seeing different states helps make players more resilient. “There are different demographics in different states,” he said. Over lunch, players share that Los Gatos is a place where they feel homey and safe.
The Business Owner
Coming from a 17-year-long career of training professional athletes, Cal Strength owner David Spitz recalls expanding beyond his first location in San Ramon to opening his second in the heart of Los Gatos.
“The owners of The Club at Los Gatos came and found me in San Ramon and made an offer to invest in Cal Strength and became a partner at the club,” he said. “Then, together we opened Parkside Restaurant. A complete ecosystem for the athletes by having them do the hard training sessions here at Cal Strength, then use The Club to access the amenities like the cold plunge, sauna, and yoga for mobility and stability. Then we use Parkside to customize and cater all the food for the players.”
Spitz says this is a recipe for peak performance.
“The Los Gatos community has allowed us to upgrade our caliber to our pre-draft training,” he said, referencing their partnership with Los Gatos High School. “It’s an amazing collaboration and the community members see these guys walking around. They’re hard to miss. They embrace the players, and it’s a very special experience.”
Cal Strength has helped launch many players into the NFL.
Last year, four training camp attendees got drafted—the Chiefs took two, one went to the Vikings, and one to the Cowboys.
Cal Strength trainers Edward Spitz and Edward Stoner say they love to see players succeed.
“That’s why we do it, as coaches,” Spitz said. “We work so hard, but it’s worth it to see these guys live out their dream.”
This is Spitz’s 14th year preparing players for the Combine.
“Essentially, the Combine is a quantitative data point for the NFL to scout the players,” he said. “The Combine is like the SAT or ACT for players in school. Not only is it an honor to be a part of getting these players to get to the NFL, but it’s a great way to optimize human performance at the highest level. I’ve also coached at two Olympic Games in the sport of weightlifting—Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. I want the town to know that it has this resource of youth athletes, or individuals who just want to train like an athlete. It’s right in your backyard.”
Spitz says over the last four years in Los Gatos, he’s viewed challenges as growth opportunities. “Sports are such an important part of our DNA,” he said. “I don’t need to be bigger, I just need to be better. This place is built on concepts of love and gratitude.”
Stoner, who’s in his second year at Cal Strength, came from a military background—he was active-duty for six years, before going into training in 2020. “I could have gone the route of going into nursing because I was a combat medic,” he said. “I did a lot of trauma medicine and worked in the hospital in the last two years.” After an internship with SJSU Athletic Performance, he linked up with Cal Strength.
Heath Clark, a social studies teacher and football coach at LGHS, explains that Cal Strength athletes serve as mentors to the high schoolers.
On Saturdays, you can find a dozen students working with the Cal Strength players; they also volunteer with PE classes a couple times a week.
Clark says this pilot program allows the high school kids to “visualize what it looks like to achieve a goal, and what it looks like to get a little better each day—just with consistency.”
This weekend’s Super Bowl will feature multiple players who’ve survived the Cal Strength intensive, including Jared Wiley and Jaden Hicks who attended last year. Perhaps some of the aspiring NFLers at this year’s camp will make it to next year’s “Super Bowl LX,” to be held just a few minutes up the road in Santa Clara.
Players
Jermaine Terry Oregon State
Terrance Ferguson University of Oregon
Jacob Mangum-Farrar Stanford University
Michael Harrison University of Colorado Boulder
Tristan Sinclair Stanford University
Joshua Grey Oregon State
Mason Cobb USC
Keleki Latu University of Washington
Joseph Vaughn Yale/UCLA
Peter Montini University of Nevada, Reno/Colorado State
Ben Yurosek Stanford/University of Georgia
Austin Hooper Stanford
Mark Redman University of Louisville
