In comparison with the countryside of Chatsworth, Ga. — inhabitants of 4,871 — Los Angeles may as properly be one other planet for rookie Ladd McConkey. He’s a Southern-twanged Martian adjusting to a brand new frontier on this sprawling metropolis.
“Chatsworth is a small city, and everyone is aware of everyone,” McConkey mentioned. “Right here, you’ve got much more folks, and I used to be not anticipating every thing to be on high of one another.”
A rural Georgian by means of and thru, all he’s identified is the Peach State.
A second-round choose, McConkey grew up in Chatsworth — two hours north of Atlanta. He performed at North Murray Excessive earlier than spending 4 years in Athens on the College of Georgia.
McConkey visited L.A. earlier than as a Georgia Bulldog, once they capped off back-to-back nationwide championships at SoFi Stadium in 2022 towards Texas Christian.
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That is a lot completely different.
Life as an NFL rookie comes with immense stress. Excessive draft picks, resembling McConkey, look to justify the draft capital spent on them. Then there are apply squad rookies, who carry the nervousness of being one organizational resolution away from unemployment.
The transition off the sphere, nonetheless, is simply as difficult.
To assist, McConkey resides together with his fiancée, Sydney Horne, in Redondo Seaside, a way more manageable spot than residing within the coronary heart of L.A. The couple discovered a spot the place McConkey opted for an open-floor plan, steering away from the cramped residing areas typically typical of older properties in California.
Having his fiancée by his facet has made McConkey’s transfer to the NFL a lot smoother, providing him help to assist fight the grind of an NFL season.
“It’s superior,” McConkey mentioned. “After apply, whether or not it’s a superb or unhealthy day, I get to go dwelling and simply discuss and hang around together with her. She’s my help system.”
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Though McConkey’s household nonetheless lives in Georgia, he stays related by means of frequent telephone calls, which helps ease the problem of being so removed from dwelling. Household visits throughout preseason video games even have helped bridge the hole.
“Its sucks as a result of my entire household lives in Chatsworth,” McConkey mentioned. “Not with the ability to drive dwelling and see them is unquestionably completely different.”
As with McConkey, a mixture of nation boys, East Coasters and Floridians are attempting to regulate to the faster-paced life in Los Angeles after spending coaching camp on the workforce resort in El Segundo.
For rookies, navigating these adjustments is made simpler with the assistance of individuals resembling Arthur Hightower.
Because the Chargers’ senior director of participant engagement, Hightower has guided rookies into NFL life since 2005, from the workforce’s days in San Diego to their present dwelling in Los Angeles. His function includes overseeing their monetary training, life expertise, relocation and total growth off the sphere.
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“The one factor all of them have in frequent is that they’re rookies, and every thing is new,” Hightower mentioned. “Individuals simply assume as a result of they make X quantity of {dollars}, they know every thing. However they’re nonetheless younger professionals. That is their first actual job.”
Hightower and his employees’s efforts to assist gamers settle are all-encompassing — from deciding if residing with a roommate is extra appropriate to contemplating the significance of proximity to the services or dealing with surprising wants, resembling discovering a barbershop.
“There are stressors, regardless of the place you might be in life,” Hightower mentioned. “The sooner they’ll get acclimated, the higher they’ll carry out.”
Offensive sort out Karsen Barnhart is shortly adjusting to metropolis life after rising up in small cities, although the fact of L.A. has turned out fairly completely different from what he had imagined.
“I had the notion of it being like New York,” Barnhart mentioned of the Huge Apple, which he dislikes. “The notion was utterly off with how every thing’s unfold out right here. There is a large city each 5 minutes, and it is not as packed.”
He sees similarities between El Segundo, the place the workforce’s facility is situated, and Ann Arbor, the place he performed for the Michigan Wolverines — although El Segundo has the bonus of ocean-side property.
Now the ocean is nearer for Barnhart, due to rookie first-rounder Joe Alt, who provided him a spot to remain in Manhattan Seaside.
“After coaching camp, I had discovered a spot and wasn’t going to make use of a number of the rooms, so I simply mentioned, ‘Hey, you wish to room with me,’” Alt mentioned.
The 2 tackles turned shut associates on the NFL mix in February, and their friendship has grown stronger all through coaching camp, in accordance with Alt. After years of residing alone, Alt favored the concept of sharing an area with somebody going by means of the same expertise.
“It’s nice to be examined with any person else and see what they’re considering and the way they’re processing issues,” Alt mentioned.
With each towering greater than 6-feet-5 and weighing properly over 310 kilos, area is at a premium, which may have led to quibbles.
Nevertheless, the sleeping association was easy. As Barnhart put it, “He will get the larger room. There was no arguing. He was type sufficient to let me keep.”
The starkest distinction to his transfer comes when he thinks of his hometown, Paw Paw, Mich., a village of simply 3,395 residents nestled off I-94.
“Paw Paw is totally completely different,” Barnhart mentioned. “For a child rising up within the nation … the Cali life-style is a totally completely different transition. However I’m loving it to this point.”
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Barnhart’s expertise with the Chargers isn’t his first go to to the L.A. space. Earlier this 12 months, he traveled with Michigan to play Alabama within the Rose Bowl on the best way to a nationwide championship.
It hasn’t taken lengthy for the rookies to embrace California tradition. Barnhart already has adopted one quintessential Angeleno criticism — the visitors.
Others are settling for the South Bay’s scenic ocean-side views, absorbing the countless sunshine and indulging in some native delicacies.
“I’m not going to lie, I carried out run into a whole lot of good taco locations,” Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste mentioned. “I eat tacos no less than thrice every week.”
Jean-Baptiste shared his love for al pastor and carne asada, a ardour he apparently enjoys by himself. With a glance of betrayal, his roommate Tre’mon Morris-Brash requested from a neighboring locker, “You getting tacos, bruh?”
“Nah, he ain’t put me on,” Morris-Brash mentioned. “That is wonderful.”
Jean-Baptiste, who performs inside linebacker, and Morris-Brash, who performs exterior linebacker, discover their residing association paying homage to one other school 12 months. They have been teammates for 4 years at Central Florida and lived just some doorways aside in the identical residence corridor.
Now, in L.A., they’re each on the Chargers’ apply squad, persevering with a shared expertise.
“It’s cool going to school with him after which having him be right here,” Morris-Brash mentioned. “It’s nice to see a well-known face on daily basis, and even cooler that we turned roommates. It is positively candy.”
The 2 share a luxurious condo simply minutes from workforce services and stored it civil when deciding who received the larger bed room, settling it with a recreation of rock, paper, scissors. Jean-Baptiste got here out on high.
Regardless of their fondness for the complicated, the fee got here as a little bit of a shock.
“Oof, one factor I can say is that the lease in California may be very completely different than the place I’m from,” mentioned Jean-Baptiste, who grew up in Florida Metropolis, Fla., (inhabitants 13,000). “Very expensive.”
The 2 moved in a couple of days earlier than the Chargers’ season opener towards the Raiders. Whereas they have been recreation planning for Las Vegas on the sphere, off the sphere they centered on establishing their wi-fi, which they dealt with themselves.
“We actually simply been attempting to get our home arrange first,” Morris-Brash mentioned.z
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This transfer is not a primary for Morris-Brash or Jean-Baptiste. Morris-Brash left his hometown of Richmond, Va., to play at UCF in Orlando. Jean-Baptiste moved to Oxford, Miss., for his remaining 12 months at Ole Miss as a graduate switch.
The space from household might be difficult, however Jean-Baptiste credit their help — and the telephone — for alleviating his transition. He typically talks together with his father, who retains him up to date on the climate in Dade County.
“I talked to my dad yesterday,” Jean-Baptiste mentioned. “He simply says in the future it’s raining, in the future it’s sizzling as hell. Sooner or later it’s raining, in the future it’s sizzling.”
“My household’s behind me,” Jean-Baptiste mentioned, “and being over right here permits me to remain centered on my dream.”
This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Occasions.
