Have you always wanted to chase your dreams but missed the first opportunity to do so? To have the opportunity to be able to chase your dreams, not once but a second time, doesn’t happen too many people. Former Army quarterback Lt. Trent Steelman received that second chance and ran with it.
Steelman, a 5-foot-11, 200 lbs. wide receiver, had a decorated four-year career (2009-12) at Army, where he rushed for 3,320 yards, which is 15th best in NCAA history and ahead of guys such as Tim Tebow, Ricky Dobbs, and Robert Griffin III. He also had 45 career rushing touchdowns, which made him the all-time leader in Army.
Before the recent explosion of spread offenses in college football, Steelman was one of most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks running the triple option.
Not many teams can the triple option effectively, but while at Army, Steelman and the rest of the Black Knights’ offense did it the best.
The triple option made Steelman a threat running the ball, but also tough. When speaking with Steelman, he talked about learning how about to be tough from his father when playing football.
“Ever since, I started picking up the game of football, my father just instilled in me that in order to play this game you have to be tough.”
Steelman’s toughness and fantastic play got him a call from the Baltimore Ravens after the 2013 NFL Draft. The Ravens wanted him to participate in rookie minicamp, an opportunity Steelman’s recalls as one of his highest.
His time would be cut short with the Ravens that summer as he went to fulfill his commitment to the service. From that time until December 2014, Steelman’s mindset never changed when it came to pursuing his goal of playing in the NFL.
“My mindset never changed. If football is what I wanted to do, then it was something I was going to put my full effort into it,” he said.
Steelman would get a second chance at his NFL dream as in December 2014, he got released from active duty to the reserves. 2015 would be a busy year for the wide receiver.
In March, Steelman participated in the NFL’s first ever veteran’s combine, where he got a chance to showcase his wide-receiver skills in front of NFL coaches and scouts.
After the combine, he then played in the International Federation of American Football World Championship, helping Team USA to the gold medal. Steelman spoke about the experience saying, “It was an awesome experience, it really was. It was really neat to be around a group of players.”
“That was another big step for me personally, not only taking the wide receiver position from a workout setting but actually putting it into a game type scenario,” he added.
Who would have known that opportunity would help propel him to getting signed by the Ravens on August 1? This summer, Steelman played in all three preseason games with Baltimore, including having a catch for 18 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Steelman says he learned a lot from future hall-of-fame wideout Steve Smith Sr., who has dominated despite his height. “No matter how big, tall, or fast you are or what you can do, if you carry that attitude like you are the best player on the field then you definitely will be,” he said.
Steelman’s journey now takes him to the FXFL with the new expansion team, the Hudson Valley Fort.
Steelman has only one expectation when it comes to the Fort and that is to win. “First and foremost is to win, that’s my mentality anywhere I go. That’s the mentality I try to bring to a team and that’s to win and compete every single day.”
Lt. Steelman has not let this second opportunity pass him as he is poised to take that next step as a football player.
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