Where Are They Now: Justin Blalock
When the Longhorns recruited Plano offensive lineman Justin Blalock, they
immediately knew they had one of the best players in the nation. The Texas
coaches had high expectations for the high
school senior coming out of Plano East and it’s safe to say he’s exceeded those expectations in just
about every way possible.
In his sophomore year in high school, Blalock established himself as one of the area's best. He was named second-team All-District and helped lead Plano East to an 11-3 record, which included a deep playoff run. The next year he repeated the All-District feat, but this time earned All-Area honors as well. As a senior, he was voted as a first-team All-State Class 5A, All-Area and All-District selection. The awards didn’t stop there, however. He earned USA Today All-American honors and was ranked the nation’s top offensive line prospect by the Sporting News. To cap off a spectacular senior performance, Blalock was invited to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. “It was really humbling just to think about the great number of kids who play high school football and know that you're thought of that highly,” said Blalock. “Just to have people thinking of you in that light and think you’re one of the best. It was really just a great honor to be chosen to do that type of stuff and to be involved with it. Like I said, they were all very humbling experiences.” Football coaches around the country took notice of his All-American talents. He had scholarship offers from some of the top schools in the country, including Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida and Michigan. In the end, though, he says it was an easy choice to make. That choice was the University of Texas. “I had been a fan of the Longhorns for a long time," Blalock said. "With them being the state school and all you just grow up naturally rooting for them. At the same time they had all the things I was looking for in a school. Strong academics, they were on the rise as a football team and a great atmosphere. It was just incredible there, from the campus itself, to the sports programs to the people in Austin. Everything I was looking for at the time, the school had to offer.” He also hit it off well with the coaches and players. Blalock said he felt right at home at Texas and it made the choice that much easier. “The coaches were a big part of me going there as well," he said. "They are the type of guys that you want to be around all the time and they treated you like family. Plus who they were recruiting and the players they brought in after evaluating. My teammates were all talented and fun guys who you wanted to be around.” Once he arrived on the Forty Acres, though, he was in for what he describes as a “rude awakening”. He quickly realized that Longhorn football definitely isn’t the same as football back in Plano. “I remember some of the earlier games I played in I was shocked,” Blalock said. “As far as the athletes go, all I can say is wow. There was a huge difference in talent obviously. One of the hardest parts was adjusting to not only the speed, but the difference in the level of competition period.” It wasn’t just the physical side of the game that changed, but the mental aspects of it as well. “I played guard my entire high school career and we ran the ‘Triple I’ which meant we threw the ball maybe five times a game," he said. "To go from that to playing tackle was just nuts. Especially since I had to learn more about the passing game and pass protection. The offenses were more sophisticated, you have more plays, the defensive sets I would see were more technical and pretty much foreign to me.” Obviously, Blalock adjusted well. His redshirt freshman year he was named first-team Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News. In 2004 he helped lead Texas to an 11-1 record, which included a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Most Longhorn fans remember him being a crucial part of the 2005 team that won Texas its first national championship in 35 years. “Everything about that season was incredible,” Blalock told Inside Texas. “It can all be attributed to the hard work, preparation and talent of everyone involved. Everyone on the team was a high quality individual who could play some football and play it well. We all worked hard and believed in ourselves. We knew if we just played our game the way we should, then there would be no doubt we could get the job done.” The following year was Blalock’s senior season and for him personally it was just as successful as the previous ones. He was named a Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist, was a unanimous first team All-American selection and was crowned the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the year title. Justin graduated in December of 2006 with a degree in youth and community studies and a minor in business. By the time his collegiate career was over he had started in 51 games, which is still a University of Texas record. “In retrospect, my college career flew by," he said. "Obviously going through it, even though I was having a great time, it seemed like it lasted awhile. There was just so much going on and you get caught up in it. Then you kind of just look up one day and realize that you've played in all the games you can and it's over. That’s when you realize that it basically just flew by.” The next step for him was the NFL, which he knew wasn’t going to be easy. He was ready for the challenge, though. “I didn't really know what to expect,” said Blalock. “Obviously at Texas there's a great multitude of players that go on to the NFL. I was trying to pick anybody's brain that I could to try to figure out things like what to expect. It was a crazy couple of months after college because you're going to combine training, the Senior Bowl and just a huge whirlwind of activities that prepare you for the next level. It was just a hectic time and I wanted to reach out to anyone I knew to get an indication of what would be happening.” Blalock ended up being one of seven Longhorns selected in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was taken in the 2nd round with the 39th pick overall by the Atlanta Falcons. “Getting drafted was almost surreal," he said. "I'm sure everyone probably says that, but hearing your name called on TV for that is just an unbelievable feeling. When you're in high school you talk and dream about playing in the NFL, just hoping it comes true. Then you go through college hoping the same, but you're one step closer. Finally that day comes and it happens, it's just unreal. You realize that all that hard work you put in, all the practices and hot days, all the time that you spent on football is completely worth it.” Much like with the change from high school to college, the switch to the NFL also presented many challenges. “Well first the biggest thing you notice is the physicality of the game," said Blalock. "That’s a huge difference. Every player on every team is like the best guy you ever went against. That’s a scary thought when you’re first starting out.” One thing he had to get used to was the fact that football was now a full-time job. “The time commitment is extremely different and much bigger," he said. "In college you have classes all day, and then you might get out at two or three in the afternoon. Afterward have some team meetings along with practice and that’s your day. In the NFL, meetings are your class. So there's that much more time to come up with schemes and packages to fool the opposition. The things we come up with are just so much different. What we did in college just pales in comparison. The hours that you have to dedicate to learning everything is completely different.” Once again, he's adjusted to it just fine. As a rookie he started in 14 games for the Falcons. The following year he started in all 16 games and helped the Falcons rank second in rushing yards per game. That same season he became the first Falcons offensive lineman to record a touchdown since the mid-nineties and his score sent them to the playoffs. By the end of the 2010 season, he had started in 62 total games in his NFL career. He says one of his favorite parts of the game is seeing former Longhorns out on the field with or against him. “More often than not, there's going to be a guy you played with on the other team," he said. "So it's really cool to see people you went through the college experience with and guys you know well that are having the same success that you have. Just the competition between your friends is great too. There’s always some friendly smack-talk going on between and the other Longhorns. That’s some of the fun, especially if you're on opposite sides of the ball.” Although he plans on playing for many more years in the NFL, he knows that at some point he’ll have to hang up his helmet. When that time comes, he says he’ll still be involved with football. “Hopefully after a very successful NFL career, I want to be a coach and teacher,” Blalock said. “I'm not sure where it will be, but I just want to be a high school coach. I'd like to be able to teach kids and give them a quality education. That’s very important. I just want to try to affect young men's lives for the better. Hopefully that will be in store for me next.”
In his sophomore year in high school, Blalock established himself as one of the area's best. He was named second-team All-District and helped lead Plano East to an 11-3 record, which included a deep playoff run. The next year he repeated the All-District feat, but this time earned All-Area honors as well. As a senior, he was voted as a first-team All-State Class 5A, All-Area and All-District selection. The awards didn’t stop there, however. He earned USA Today All-American honors and was ranked the nation’s top offensive line prospect by the Sporting News. To cap off a spectacular senior performance, Blalock was invited to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. “It was really humbling just to think about the great number of kids who play high school football and know that you're thought of that highly,” said Blalock. “Just to have people thinking of you in that light and think you’re one of the best. It was really just a great honor to be chosen to do that type of stuff and to be involved with it. Like I said, they were all very humbling experiences.” Football coaches around the country took notice of his All-American talents. He had scholarship offers from some of the top schools in the country, including Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida and Michigan. In the end, though, he says it was an easy choice to make. That choice was the University of Texas. “I had been a fan of the Longhorns for a long time," Blalock said. "With them being the state school and all you just grow up naturally rooting for them. At the same time they had all the things I was looking for in a school. Strong academics, they were on the rise as a football team and a great atmosphere. It was just incredible there, from the campus itself, to the sports programs to the people in Austin. Everything I was looking for at the time, the school had to offer.” He also hit it off well with the coaches and players. Blalock said he felt right at home at Texas and it made the choice that much easier. “The coaches were a big part of me going there as well," he said. "They are the type of guys that you want to be around all the time and they treated you like family. Plus who they were recruiting and the players they brought in after evaluating. My teammates were all talented and fun guys who you wanted to be around.” Once he arrived on the Forty Acres, though, he was in for what he describes as a “rude awakening”. He quickly realized that Longhorn football definitely isn’t the same as football back in Plano. “I remember some of the earlier games I played in I was shocked,” Blalock said. “As far as the athletes go, all I can say is wow. There was a huge difference in talent obviously. One of the hardest parts was adjusting to not only the speed, but the difference in the level of competition period.” It wasn’t just the physical side of the game that changed, but the mental aspects of it as well. “I played guard my entire high school career and we ran the ‘Triple I’ which meant we threw the ball maybe five times a game," he said. "To go from that to playing tackle was just nuts. Especially since I had to learn more about the passing game and pass protection. The offenses were more sophisticated, you have more plays, the defensive sets I would see were more technical and pretty much foreign to me.” Obviously, Blalock adjusted well. His redshirt freshman year he was named first-team Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News. In 2004 he helped lead Texas to an 11-1 record, which included a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Most Longhorn fans remember him being a crucial part of the 2005 team that won Texas its first national championship in 35 years. “Everything about that season was incredible,” Blalock told Inside Texas. “It can all be attributed to the hard work, preparation and talent of everyone involved. Everyone on the team was a high quality individual who could play some football and play it well. We all worked hard and believed in ourselves. We knew if we just played our game the way we should, then there would be no doubt we could get the job done.” The following year was Blalock’s senior season and for him personally it was just as successful as the previous ones. He was named a Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist, was a unanimous first team All-American selection and was crowned the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the year title. Justin graduated in December of 2006 with a degree in youth and community studies and a minor in business. By the time his collegiate career was over he had started in 51 games, which is still a University of Texas record. “In retrospect, my college career flew by," he said. "Obviously going through it, even though I was having a great time, it seemed like it lasted awhile. There was just so much going on and you get caught up in it. Then you kind of just look up one day and realize that you've played in all the games you can and it's over. That’s when you realize that it basically just flew by.” The next step for him was the NFL, which he knew wasn’t going to be easy. He was ready for the challenge, though. “I didn't really know what to expect,” said Blalock. “Obviously at Texas there's a great multitude of players that go on to the NFL. I was trying to pick anybody's brain that I could to try to figure out things like what to expect. It was a crazy couple of months after college because you're going to combine training, the Senior Bowl and just a huge whirlwind of activities that prepare you for the next level. It was just a hectic time and I wanted to reach out to anyone I knew to get an indication of what would be happening.” Blalock ended up being one of seven Longhorns selected in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was taken in the 2nd round with the 39th pick overall by the Atlanta Falcons. “Getting drafted was almost surreal," he said. "I'm sure everyone probably says that, but hearing your name called on TV for that is just an unbelievable feeling. When you're in high school you talk and dream about playing in the NFL, just hoping it comes true. Then you go through college hoping the same, but you're one step closer. Finally that day comes and it happens, it's just unreal. You realize that all that hard work you put in, all the practices and hot days, all the time that you spent on football is completely worth it.” Much like with the change from high school to college, the switch to the NFL also presented many challenges. “Well first the biggest thing you notice is the physicality of the game," said Blalock. "That’s a huge difference. Every player on every team is like the best guy you ever went against. That’s a scary thought when you’re first starting out.” One thing he had to get used to was the fact that football was now a full-time job. “The time commitment is extremely different and much bigger," he said. "In college you have classes all day, and then you might get out at two or three in the afternoon. Afterward have some team meetings along with practice and that’s your day. In the NFL, meetings are your class. So there's that much more time to come up with schemes and packages to fool the opposition. The things we come up with are just so much different. What we did in college just pales in comparison. The hours that you have to dedicate to learning everything is completely different.” Once again, he's adjusted to it just fine. As a rookie he started in 14 games for the Falcons. The following year he started in all 16 games and helped the Falcons rank second in rushing yards per game. That same season he became the first Falcons offensive lineman to record a touchdown since the mid-nineties and his score sent them to the playoffs. By the end of the 2010 season, he had started in 62 total games in his NFL career. He says one of his favorite parts of the game is seeing former Longhorns out on the field with or against him. “More often than not, there's going to be a guy you played with on the other team," he said. "So it's really cool to see people you went through the college experience with and guys you know well that are having the same success that you have. Just the competition between your friends is great too. There’s always some friendly smack-talk going on between and the other Longhorns. That’s some of the fun, especially if you're on opposite sides of the ball.” Although he plans on playing for many more years in the NFL, he knows that at some point he’ll have to hang up his helmet. When that time comes, he says he’ll still be involved with football. “Hopefully after a very successful NFL career, I want to be a coach and teacher,” Blalock said. “I'm not sure where it will be, but I just want to be a high school coach. I'd like to be able to teach kids and give them a quality education. That’s very important. I just want to try to affect young men's lives for the better. Hopefully that will be in store for me next.”
