If you’re a kicker, you most likely know who this guy is, even though he has never kicked a field goal in pro football (he kicked off twice, but had no FG chances in his first game… and the UFL doesn’t kick PATs).
He’s a celebrity YouTuber known as “Deestroying” — real name: Donald De La Haye. He’s acquired a tremendous social following over the past 7 years. He went from high school kicker to earn a scholarship at UCF , then chose to give up his scholarship when a pre-NIL NCAA demanded he make a choice, to become a celebrity YouTuber.
You can read all about this latest chapter in Donald’s life as he took the field with the San Antonio Brahmas UFL team this Spring (click the link)… but what you might miss is the dedication, persistance and work ethic he’s put into his dream of playing in the NFL one day.
Donald is 27, and by NFL standards, he’s running out of time. But signing and playing with the new UFL is exposure and experience that could lead to an NFL contract.
Odds are that he won’t… but it has never deterred his enthusiasm for mastering the craft of kicking a football.
And that’s the point of this blog — if you really truly want something, you have to put in the work and learn to love the journey of finding a way to get better every single day. Trust that training to produce good outcomes and you’ll lessen much of the pressure that all kickers tend to place upon themselves.
For aspiring kickers, Donald’s sneak peek and real time YouTube videos give you a fantastic glimpse into an amazing journey. It is not for meek. And, don’t write this guy off as a “flash-in-the-pan”. When anyone says you’re an overnight sensation, typically you just haven’t seen the years of work that went into preparing for a game changing opportunity.
We wish to see Donald don an NFL jersey soon.
