Liberty University football coach Hugh Freeze was given a shave and haircut by the Ninth Street Parlor, better known as "Chopper". The barber wanted the coach to look his best for what he said was the biggest day this town had ever seen. Maybe ever. It is going to blow, said Chopper late Monday afternoon. Liberty University's pro day barely drew a blip on the NFL radar until Tuesday. 120 NFL coaches, scouts and front office personnel will be on campus instead of the typical eight to 10 scouts. There will be 19 players on display instead of the one or two that would have been there. Some teams will be represented more than others. General manager Scott Fitterer, head coach Matt Rhule, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan, and others will be with the team at all times, just as they were on Monday. The Blue Ridge Mountains will be the location for live shows by both the NFL Network and ESPN. Liberty has put on the NFL map in ways few, if any, ever imagined because of senior quarterback Malik Willis, who has never before played in these parts. The city manager called to offer assistance. Freeze said that he didn't think he could quantify what this day means. The school has spent weeks preparing for the pro day, an event they barely invested a few days in the past. The man who claims he looks like a combination of Magic Johnson and George Foreman says people in the parlor have been talking about it since it became apparent that he could be a first-round pick. It reminds Ian McCaw of when he was the athletic director at Baylor. The turning point of that program was because of the exposure. McCaw said Tuesday was an even bigger event than the Super Bowl coming to this sleepy town by the James River. He is an analyst for ESPN. He pointed out that Liberty does not have a football history that is comparable to that of a major conference school. Could Lock really replace Wilson?
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Before McCaw came here in 2016 and before the arrival of the transfer from auburn, the quarterback never heard of Liberty and he didn't pay much attention to it.
I thought Liberty was just some writing on the Statue of Liberty, but I have come to know more about it. The entire world is going to know about it.
The liaison for Liberty football hopes so. He oversaw the preparation of the facilities and planned every detail for the arrival of the group from the league.
Eric Green was Liberty's only first-round pick. Since then, no player has been picked higher than the fourth round, and only three have been drafted.
Fortunately for Hubbard, the facilities are comparable to those of most major football programs, starting with an indoor facility that is state-of-the-art. That part was easy.
The rest has been like drawing a picture of a new house. He has gone from having a few members of the football staff and the communications department putting on the event to having the entire athletic department at his disposal.
It is all hands on deck. Even though the team is in the middle of spring practice, all other football activities were canceled.
Everyone wants to get the message out that the brand of football and facilities here are better than what people think.
That could help convince more players to choose Liberty.
Hubbard said this is monumental.
In his barbershop, Chopper remembered vividly when Freeze sat in his leather chair and talked about a kid he was bringing in who had only attempted 14 passes in 15 games. He remembered Freeze saying the kid didn't know how good he was.
Freeze told him that the kid was special and would change the program.
That was obvious on Tuesday.
McCaw said it was an unprecedented brand-building opportunity.
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Ole Miss had three players go in the first round of the 2016 class, but Freeze says Tuesday is bigger.
First-rounders, or even great stories, were not new to Ole Miss. The story about left tackle Michael Oher, who was selected by Baltimore two years earlier, became a hit in the movie The Blind Side.
Because of the exposure he brings, many of the other players who may have been overlooked if he hadn't become a star, are being exposed.
Freeze said that he took a picture with all the other guys and that some of them will surprise people and get on the roster.
The mindset he had in 2012 is what he said last month at the NFL combine. As the second overall pick by the Washington Commanders that year, Griffin said he participated in the pro day to help the stock of others.
He wants to shine a light on all the other players at Liberty, to show NFL teams they have talent there.
That means a lot because it shows that he understands.
Freeze had little time to relax between spring practice and pro day. Chopper took care of that for about an hour and a half.
He said that he was just snoring.
Check-ins began at 9 a.m. and weight room testing began at 10 a.m.
The schedule calls for him to perform at 1 p.m. so he didn't steal the spotlight early on.
On draft day, the spotlight will be on Willis, who is undersized at 6-foot and 225 pounds. The panthers are also looking at him as a possibility.
After failing to make a trade last week for the Houston Texans, they are looking for a franchise quarterback.
The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons could look to draft a quarterback in the first round. The Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Commanders, and Pittsburgh Steelers have long-term questions at quarterback.
The customers and Chopper try to figure out where he will land. They will be celebrating the first round with a really cold beer at the opposite end of the Ninth Street Parlor.
If you don't protect him with your arms and legs, he will beat you with his arm and legs. He believes that the team will get a special person, like the one that was captured on social media giving a homeless person a shirt from his suitcase.
Tuesday was all about what Willis has done for Liberty.
He said that this will work wonders for the university.
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