Today we’d like to introduce you to Reggie Rusk.
Hi reggie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Reggie Rusk. Former NFL player, Vice President of the Houston Chapter of the NFLPA, and the Founder and Executive Director of Stay Recruited.
To understand why I created Stay Recruited, you have to understand where I came from. I remember all of my struggles as a youth—the lack of mentorship, the lack of guidance, the lack of resources. The truth is, we can’t help where we’re born, who our parents are, or what our community looks like. I was very blessed to be born disciplined and as a natural leader. But if I’m being honest? If I didn’t have that internal drive, who knows where I would be.
Then football happened. I gave years of dedication to the game, and just like that—after one injury—my playing career was over. Like it or not, it was finished.
So I started Next Level Sports Training because I wanted to help athletes with their performance. But very quickly, I realized something. These kids I was training? They were just like I was. Lost. No resources. No real mentorship.
That’s when I decided to create Stay Recruited—to fill those gaps.
Here is our core belief: Exposure is the key to success. We use sports as the vehicle, but we don’t stop at the field. We help these athletes create the roadmap for their entire lives. Whether it’s mentorship, financial literacy, or exposure to completely new career paths, we provide the opportunity.
We’re talking about STEM & Tech, Construction, Aviation, Agriculture, Green Energy—industries these kids never even knew existed. We have partnered with companies that offer real career opportunities to our youth.
But the most important thing we’ve managed to do? Be a support system.
We believe that if we help correct young men, we correct future generations. So many of the problems we’re having in today’s society exist because young boys don’t have enough genuine men to help guide them.
That’s what we do. Using the influence of the NFL and the NFLPA, we step into that gap.
We are Stay Recruited. And we are just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For nearly my entire life, football was my identity. From the time I first strapped on shoulder pads at nine years old, my world had a distinct, unyielding rhythm. I grew up in an environment where every single day was mapped out for me—I was told exactly where to be, what time to show up, and precisely what I needed to do to succeed.
But when my time playing pro football came to an end, the transition to civilian life hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, the whistles stopped, the schedules vanished, and I felt like I had been dropped into a completely unfamiliar world without a compass. The truth is, I didn’t feel like I was given the proper tools or preparation to handle life after the game.
The immediate aftermath was incredibly difficult. I deeply struggled to adapt to the sudden loss of the locker room—missing that daily brotherhood and the shared bond with my peers who really understood the grind. In that quiet space, I found myself facing a profound, unsettling question: Who am I without football? When the game is all you’ve ever known, losing it feels like losing a piece of yourself.
Luckily for me, I’ve always been resilient, driven, and intensely motivated. When the external structure of the game disappeared, that internal fire is what carried me through the fog. It wasn’t easy, but I had to rely on that deep-seated grit to navigate the uncertainty, rebuild my foundation, and figure out who I was meant to be when the helmet came off. I had to learn to take the same focus that got me to the highest level of sports and use it to carve out a brand-new purpose on my own terms.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
That difficult transition—that feeling of being completely lost when the game ended—is the exact spark that drove me to create Stay Recruited.
Going through that struggle firsthand, I made a personal vow: the young athletes coming up behind me wouldn’t have to navigate that dark, confusing wilderness alone. I wanted to make sure athletics wasn’t the only thing they were interested in, and certainly not the only tool in their shed.
In 2018, we took a massive step forward and completely redefined what our athletic programs looked like. We realized that preparing a child for the future meant looking far beyond the lines of the playing field. So, we intentionally built a holistic program for both young men and women, integrating:
Career Development: Preparing them for corporate pipelines, technology, and professional industries.
Financial Literacy: Giving them the actual tools to manage, grow, and understand their money early.
Mentorship: Standing in the gap to provide the guidance, wisdom, and support I wished I’d had.
Since we made that shift, we have been incredibly successful at helping young people build a real, viable Plan B.
It’s all about exposure. If a kid has only ever seen the court or the field, that’s the only place they’ll believe they can succeed. But the moment you expose a child to new industries, new environments, and new career paths, a switch flips. Once they see what’s truly possible, there is absolutely no stopping them.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Building this bridge for our youth isn’t a solo mission—it takes a village, a community, and a network of dedicated partners. That is why we are always looking for forward-thinking businesses and leaders who want to step up and make a tangible impact, whether by becoming a workforce partner, a volunteer, or a sponsor of our initiatives.
If there is one thing this journey has taught me, it is how to connect with youth from all walks of life. I’ve sat in their shoes, and I know how to meet them exactly where they are. That connection is how we build the deep, authentic trust needed to guide, mentor, and lead them toward a brighter future. But to open up the corporate pipelines, secure the resources, and scale this exposure, we need you.
The best way to team up with me, share ideas, or discuss partnership opportunities is right where the professional community meets:
Let’s connect on LinkedIn. It is by far the best place to reach me directly. Whether you want to volunteer your time, sponsor our programs, or open up career pathways at your company, let’s start the conversation and build a powerful Plan B for the next generation together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stayrecruited.org
- Instagram: @coachreggie_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JuPRAHycZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: reggierusk
- Youtube: @stayrecruited
