For four seasons, as he was dominating the line of scrimmage, it was hard to miss Kevin Strong, Jr. The big man from Cleveland, Texas, after a decorated high school career. He redshirted as a freshman but found himself a key contributor in the 2015 season, starting seven games and playing in all 12. As a sophomore he would draw 10 starts, recording a sack, two forced fumbles, and blocked a field goal against Louisiana Tech and an extra point attempt by New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl.
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He would fully entrench himself as a starter for his junior and senior years, earning second team and honorable mention All-Conference honors. Then the NFL came calling. While he would go undrafted in 2019, there is always a need for skilled defensive linemen and Strong would sign as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions. He quickly drew praise from the coaching staff and would make the 53-man roster when camp broke in time for the 2019-20 season.
Strong continues to find his way in the league as a pro but has earned consistent playing time for a surprising Lions team this season. He recently took some time after practice to talk about the freezing cold temps of New Mexico, the value of sleep, and what he misses most about Texas.
EM: First things first, Kevin. I know you grew up in Cleveland in the Houston area. How did you decide UTSA was the place you wanted to come to school and continue your football career? What specifically about UTSA did you love?
KS: Well, when I started getting offers after my sophomore year, I really had never heard of UTSA before in my life. They kept sending me stuff and were showing me a lot of love. That’s how I found out who UTSA was. I ended up taking a trip down there and it just ended up working out. I felt comfortable there on my trip. I basically committed to them the next day.
I really just loved the culture. My teammates really felt like my family and things like that. I know I loved playing in the Alamodome too. Playing there was the first time I’d ever played in a dome. Overall, I would say the culture and atmosphere made me love UTSA. It’s a cool school.
EM: What would you say are some of your favorite memories of playing here with the Roadrunners?
KS: Definitely one big one was becoming bowl eligible. That was one of the best experiences I ever had with UTSA. That was real cool. Also, beating Baylor for our first power five win was also real cool.
EM: For sure. Speaking of that bowl game, how were you able to deal with how cold it was? I know me watching from the stands is different than y’all being down there on the field, but how were you able to handle the weather?
KS: Man, it was ridiculous. I had never been in cold like that before. I hated it. It was horrible. The more I was on the field and moving was how I was able to handle it. I just wanted to be on the field. The only problem was when I was standing on the sidelines freezing. They had heaters out there and stuff. It was freezing, but I dealt with it.
EM: What’s Detroit been like for you? How are you enjoying the city?
KS: I haven’t really just got out and seen the city as much as I want to. But it’s cool for the most part. It’s a big city and they got hella food here that I have to check out. I haven’t been able to check out the cold, but I ain’t interested in that.
For the most part though, I really like it. The people are cool, the fans are real die hard and the support is real and it’s there. So far, it’s been good.
EM: What’s been the biggest adjustment for you so far going from college to the pros?
KS: I would say just the communication and learning the techniques and how they want me to play a certain way. It’s different from how I had done things in college. It’s nothing crazy, but I think there’s a lot of technique and making calls and things that I can still learn. I’m learning every day from the vets on the team. So far, it’s been real smooth though.
EM: How are you spending your down time and your off days? Y’all just had your bye week, did you get to do anything fun when you were off?
KS: Shoot, sleep man. I don’t get enough of that. I rest and I recover. We get our workouts in early and I do my recovery stuff, but once I’m done, I go back home and go to sleep.
[During the bye week,] I just went back home to see my family. It was cool, going back to see everybody. That’s what I miss most about Texas. I miss my family. When I get homesick, I miss my Mom, my Dad, my Grandmom, my everyday people. That’s what I miss most.
EM: Before I let you go, Kevin, we’re all really proud of what you’ve been able to accomplish so far and we know you’re going to do even better things. Is there a message you want to send back home to Roadrunner Nation?
KS: I just want to say thank you for supporting me all my years at UTSA and for continuing to even support me now. I appreciate all that support and for sending me all that positive energy that I’ve needed to get to this point.
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