DJ Maclean originally hails from the highlands of Scotland, where American football isn’t really a thing. He was naturally strong and athletic and excelled in some other sports, soccer, rugby and shinty chief among them.
Now, when his family moved to Oregon when he was a child, his natural aptitude for rugby helped with the transition to football. He started with flag football, and found he felt more natural on defense, rather than offense. As he grew up, he started to play contact football, and that was where his natural aptitude really took over! A naturally quick, strong player, he was initially used as a DE, due to his prodigious strength. That didn’t really take advantage of his quickness and explosiveness off the line, so they tried him at linebacker. Wow, the results were breathtaking, as he became the most dominant defensive force in Oregon and was recruited by Boise State, where he became an elite NCAA pass rusher.
Now, when his family moved to Oregon when he was a child, his natural aptitude for rugby helped with the transition to football. He started with flag football, and found he felt more natural on defense, rather than offense. As he grew up, he started to play contact football, and that was where his natural aptitude really took over! A naturally quick, strong player, he was initially used as a DE, due to his prodigious strength. That didn’t really take advantage of his quickness and explosiveness off the line, so they tried him at linebacker. Wow, the results were breathtaking, as he became the most dominant defensive force in Oregon and was recruited by Boise State, where he became an elite NCAA pass rusher.