Ithaca College’s Derek Slywka earns shot at the NFL

All across the country, millions of football players dream of making it to the NFL one day and play in front of a nationwide audience on a weekly basis. That fantasy could soon become a reality for one Ithaca College alum.

On June 6, Derek Slywka was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. After not being selected in the NFL Draft back in April, Slywka was invited to rookie minicamps with the Colts, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Francisco 49ers. It was in Indiana where he impressed most. It was a surreal moment for both Slywka and his head coach during his final two years on South Hill, Mike Toerper.

“It’s been an absolutely incredible journey,” Toerper said. “It was amazing to hear from his agent that day that he was being signed by the Colts after going through a very unique process, not your typical process to make it to the NFL. I’m just so proud of Derek and all the work that he put in to be prepared for this moment. When I got the call from his agent that he had a great minicamp that week and he’s going on to training camp with the Colts, I was just thrilled for him and I couldn’t wait to get on the phone with him.”

Toerper played a big role in getting Slywka on the professional radar initially. His connections with NFL scouts helped Slywka secure a pro day, which is a pre-draft event where athletes work out and showcase their talents to teams. Even though Slywka didn’t end up getting drafted, he certainly made a strong first impression.

“If I didn’t perform well, the doors would have closed,” Slywka said. “I think I came onto the scene kind of quick after that. I think a lot of scouts’ eyes all of a sudden opened up and I had a lot of conversations that have been going on. I think it’s one of those things coming from D3, there weren’t always many eyes on you. You’re kind of jumping over some hurdles.”

While it’s historically difficult for Division III players to break into the NFL, that hasn’t necessarily been the case this year. In fact, Slywka isn’t the only D3 athlete in his own state to have taken a big step towards playing in the pros. Over at rivals SUNY Cortland, wide receivers Cole Burgess and JJ Laap signed as undrafted free agents to the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, respectively. It’s a testament to the underrated strength of football in both the lower divisions of college football and in New York.

“I think there’s a lot of kids like me that come out of high school and maybe didn’t have the most exposure,” Slywka said. “We’re late bloomers. I was undersized in high school. I just wasn’t that physically mature yet. Don’t let people kind of tell you what your path can be. If I was listening to what people told me I could do, then I never probably would even try to play college sports. I think my mindset is to carry yourself with that chip on your shoulder and just work your butt off.”

Slywka was a top-notch defensive back during his time with the Bombers, but he actually joins the Colts as a wide receiver. Despite not having played on offense since high school, there’s plenty of confidence from Toerper that he can excel on the other side of the ball.

“He got a chance to go and work out for them and he did some defensive back drills,” Toerper said. “There were only a couple receivers there that day, so they asked him if he wanted to hop in at receiver, and he did. He did a great job for them, and I think he brings so much versatility to any franchise that he’s a part of, because he can play in all three phases of the game. I think that special teams value is really going to hold major stock when it comes time to make a practice squad or make a team or even make a 53-man roster whenever that opportunity presents itself for him.”

Slywka is in the midst of battling for a spot on the final roster. By August 27, the current roster of over 90 players must be trimmed down to 53, though that does not include practice squad players. Whatever happens later this month, the fact that Slywka has even made it this far is something to truly cherish.

“At Ithaca, I think you really do get prepared to make this leap to another level,” Slywka said. “I think the way we approach things in practice and just our mindset and the culture, I feel like I was prepared to do all the things I need to do to have success at pro days, and that just comes from the training and coaching.”

Should Slywka make the final cut, he would be only the third Bomber to play in the NFL, joining Sandor Szabo (1967) and Joe D’Orazio (1944).