How did you get your start in a career in football?
Growing up, my dream was to live in New York City and work in beauty and fashion marketing. I have three degrees, and they are all geared toward that. When I was a junior at the University of Alabama, I started working for the football team. My brother, who was in graduate school at the time, had actually worked in the program first. An internship opened, and he told me that I should consider it because it was fun and there was a group of girls my age working, too. I figured I’d give it a whirl. I started as a recruiting operations student assistant and worked the logistical side of recruiting — so a lot of game-day check-ins, official and unofficial visits, keeping up with a lot of data and systems. My shifts were two days a week for about two hours each, and when they ended, I’d find myself lingering and quickly learned it was something I loved to do. So, I began connecting with more people in the building, and my football career just kind of went from there.
After one year in that role, I became the head of that position under Ashleigh Kimble, helping lead the team of women. I switched over to head coach Nick Saban’s office the next year, which flowed into a full-time job where I worked with him but still did some recruiting. It was awesome. I very quickly learned it was something I could very seriously see myself doing with my life and love it.
Having worked under Nick Saban in Alabama’s dynasty years, what did you learn from that experience?
So much. Very early on, I learned what greatness looked like. Seeing his process and learning how to achieve that high standard was incredible, and it’s something I’ve taken into my career with the Panthers. Observing the type of leader that he is and how he ran that program, you can’t put a price on that. The entire staff carried out the culture, as well, and to be a part of that has helped me get to where I am today, 100 percent.
What does your current role entail?
Every day is different, which is part of what I love about it. My first priority is head coach Dave Canales. I help him with anything that he needs and the entire coaching staff with day-to-day operations. Sometimes it’s keeping up with schedules, filming at practice — tight ends are my group — or making team meetings. I help everyone with ticketing and field passes, and I help spread the culture throughout the building by making graphics of our daily themes. Another big piece is being a connector to the rest of the building, so I am very hands-on with our operations team, wellness team, sponsorship team, community relations, to help keep the football side engaged with everything else that’s going on in the building.
In terms of helping Coach Canales, I make sure all of the small things are in place. For example, I know he likes skinny, red Sharpies, so I make sure he always has them. There are a lot of things people probably wouldn’t notice or they might not think are a big deal, but I do them so he doesn’t even have to think about the small details or know that they are things. It’s a lot of behind the scenes.
