Florida head coach Mike Holloway did not mince words when he voiced his concern over the shrinking connection between track and field and professional football. Speaking on a Ready Set Go podcast in June 2025 alongside Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and veteran coach Rodney Green, Holloway remarked, “The days of the football track guy are probably done… These guys are making, like, a quarter million dollars—or more—to play football. You think teams are going to risk that investment by letting them run track? I don’t think so.” The statement highlighted a growing trend in which professional football has moved away from a practice once fundamental to enhancing speed and explosiveness.

Holloway, with his experience coaching World Champion hurdler Grant Holloway, underscored that while track techniques remain crucial, many football coaches fail to appreciate their value. “Oh, I think it does, yeah. But I don’t think football coaches and strength coaches realize that. That’s the issue,” he said. Green also pointed out that elite NFL athletes like DK Metcalf, Christian McCaffrey, and Jaylen Waddle benefited from their track experience significantly. 

And now, with the Golden Bears’ legend DeSean Jackson stressing the same point, the issue looks quite serious. Jackson, who was the former wide receiver for the California Golden Bears and current head football coach at Delaware State University, recently appeared in an episode of the ‘Night Cap’ podcast. Jackson stated, “You know, because me the reason why I was able to play so long because I always utilize the track in the offseason. So my players, we just was out in the field today. We had two 300s. We had one 200 and we had three 150s. And I’m out there running with them. I may I may not be in the front with them, but I’m.’” 

Troy Woolfolk, the host of Night Cap, elaborated on Jackson’s methodology, noting how it distinguished him from typical players. “There’s a reason why he was one of the most electrifying receivers of all time. Now, let’s talk about speed, OK? He was a rare athlete that had both types of speed… Speed is something that cannot be developed on the field. You have to go to the track to get that over distance, train those legs on how to be able to maintain that speed through a duration of time and not just be a 40 yard warrior. And that’s something that Deshaun Jackson has done great at Delaware State.” 

Meanwhile, Jackson’s remarks seemed to have sat well with Justin Gatlin. He reshared the clip on his social media, adding further credibility to the emphasis on track training. And not only Gatlin, NFL fans too, voiced their support in favor of Jackson’s point of view.

Fans share their two cents on track training significance for NFL speed

As soon as the post went viral, fans started to chime in with their two cents. The first fan’s comment, “I AGREE 10000% Track & Field should be every athletes foundation in my opinion,” reflected DeSean Jackson’s point about how structured track workouts build acceleration and sustained speed. 

Another netizen commented, “👏👏great points.” Surely, the comment seems to be agreeing with the overall discussion led by Holloway, Gatlin, and Jackson. Surely, the likes of Jaylen Waddle and DK Metcalf attained greatness due to their expertise in track training. And although it has become largely understated, the need for such training regime is once again becoming more and more evident. 

Former American football wide receiver and track and field Olympian, Marquise Goodwin, shared, “100 times is significantly more important. MAIN REASON, all these 40 times are fabricated. Until they use FAT I’m not believing any of them. I’m included. 10.09w / 10.24 😬.” His take hints at the skepticism over standard NFL speed metrics. Jackson’s opinion, emphasizing over-distance track-style workouts, provides measurable evidence of genuine speed development rather than relying solely on 40-yard dash times. Immediately replying to Goodwin, Troy Woolfolk wrote, “facts on facts ! Check out the linked video where im saying the same thing! See we be knowing this why our podcast bout to be lit ! 🙌” 

Another sport enthusiast wrote, “A 4.3 guy in the nfl is definitely running a 10.5 or faster!!!” Their opinion explained how NFL speed translates in track terms. The Delaware State examples, where Jackson led structured sprints, reinforce the idea that football players’ top-end speed and endurance can be directly enhanced by dedicated track sessions.