WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Iowa State linebacker O'Rien Vance emerged as a strong presence for the Cyclones through his play and his leadership.
Over the course of his college career, he played in 56 games, racked up 256 total tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Vance participated in the 2023 College Gridiron Showcase and has been training in Austin, Texas as he prepares for the 2023 NFL draft.
Local 5 talked to Vance about his NFL dreams and how he plans to get there.
"So as of now, I have currently been training at ROI Sports and Performance. It's out here in Austin, Texas, amazing facility. It's ran by Jason Belser ... And I've been really just training, grinding and just finding my way in this new path of being on my own and just understanding my body and all these things," Vance said.
For Vance, the prospect of NFL play would be a dream come true.
"That would be the biggest gift slash opportunity slash greatest feeling in the world. It'd be something that like I've worked for this my entire life. There hasn't been a single day, month, that wasn't directed towards football," he said. "I don't even remember time when football wasn't a thing in my life. So, for me, this is something that is a dream that I can't let die or never will die because it's been ingrained in me. So for that to happen will be the greatest feeling ever."
Watch the full interview
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