By ROBERT L. LEE

RESERVE – He’s been quietly training in East St. John High School’s gym before the sunrise and after the sun sets every day for the past few month and in a few days, it should all payoff. On March 14, Garyville native Thomas Pittman will stick his head out from the secretive, “Rocky”-style training and make the trip over to the pro day at L.S.U., where he is expecting attention from more than 10 NFL teams.

About 14 teams, ranging from the New York Giants to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers have shown interest in Pittman, after seeing him play only one year of college football in Florida.

“I’m ready right now,” said Pittman, 22. “I know the NFL is another level and I am not afraid to say I can’t compete, but I think I can. The only thing some other guys might have on me is experience.”

Pittman’s trek to the pros began after playing football for East St. John High School. During his senior year, he signed his intent to join Auburn’s team. In that same year, he entered into the draft for baseball. His name and record from high school lasted only into the first round, when the Montreal Expos grabbed him on the 45th pick. He chose to the Expos over Auburn and signed his name to a three-year contract to play first base. Pittman said after three years of playing baseball in Canada and across the northern United States, he missed football and rushing through offensive lines.

He had the choice to continue a contract with the Expos or switch back to football, so while the Florida Gators, one of his top options from high school, were visiting East St. John to draft another player, Pittman mentioned he would like another shot to join. The Gators offered him a scholarship and he joined as a freshman. Of all the times to join a college team, Pittman took to the field for the Gators and helped them win the SEC championship and compete in the Sugar Bowl.

While talking with his former Wildcat defensive line coach Gregg Duvall, he mentioned how he was considering returning to the Florida team for another season.

“He said he could help me train for the NFL if I wanted to, after that it’s been crazy,” said Pittman. “It’s like the first time getting recruited to college out of high school for football and baseball. It’s amazing to have a lot of NFL teams looking at you.”

Duvall said once in every coaches’ career, there is one special standout player. While Duvall has coached successful players such as Greg Gathers, he said Pittman is different.

“Not to take away from any other players, but I’ve been involved in training for over 35 years and Pittman stands out,” Duvall said. “He possesses that ability to drive himself, almost like he is possessed. He has something that drives him to obtain a much higher level.”

The step to a higher will begin in Baton Rouge, when all 32 NFL teams will send scouts to evaluate the players and if they like what they see in a particular player, they can arrange to have more personal workouts and evaluations at a later time.

Pittman said had no preference about joining a particular team, he merely aiming to get his foot in the door and deliver a performance that would make every team in the NFL ask about him.

“Any team that’s interested in me, I’m interested in them,” Pittman Continued. “I want to deliver a performance where different teams will open their eyes and I can get exposure and have guys in my corner.”

In his corner every day for the past few months, Duvall has been putting Pittman through a specific, rigorous training process in the seclusion and intimacy of the Wildcats’ weight room.

Duvall said he has been training “since before weightlifting was fashionable,” but does not submit his high school players to the workout program he puts himself and Pittman through, because some coaches consider it controversial.

“What I do in six months equals what some people do in four or five years,” said Duvall. Duvall, Pittman and a small group train until failure in cycles each day. The group lifts a certain weight as many times as possible, then moves directly to another exercise. After two weeks, the work out sequence changes.

Duvall said “Pittman has not only developed muscle, but muscle with endurance which will last the entire game.”

Pittman said he chose to work out quietly at his alma mater with Duvall because “I really trust him. It comes down to knowing who I work out with and who knows me. He pushes me way over the limit, but he knows what I can take and that’s the trust I have in him.”