Tai Felton’s summer training with NFL veterans changed his approach to the game

Maryland football wide receiver Tai Felton catches 300 to 500 machine-thrown tennis balls a day during the season. Before every practice, he does a 15- to 20-minute cold plunge and uses a foam roller all over his body to relieve muscle tension.

Those are habits Felton developed this past summer, one where he set out to perfect his mindset. Felton’s work ethic always shined, but he now puts a greater emphasis on recovery and repetition. The on-field results are evident. Felton recorded Maryland’s third-most receptions (48) in 2023. This season, he’s the Big Ten’s leader in receptions (46) and receiving yards (632) through six weeks.

A summer trip to Exos — a performance training facility in Gulf Breeze, Florida — with NFL veterans gave Felton fresh eyes on what it takes to be elite at both the collegiate and professional levels.

Exos trains professional athletes in multiple sports. Its NFL Combine program has helped produce more than 1,000 draft picks and more than 200 first-round picks, according to its website. Maryland strength and conditioning coach Ryan Davis took Felton and four other Terps there during the team’s Fourth of July break.

Photo courtesy of Woody Thompson

“[Tai] came back a different guy,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “He’s taking care of his body, his confidence is through the roof. He’s playing and practicing at a high level.”

The group worked alongside two NFL veterans: Panthers wide receiver/tight end Jordan Matthews and free agent safety Erik Harris. Their testimonies were valuable to Felton, who is already seen by some scouts as a top-75 prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

Woody Thompson, a performance specialist who trained the group, was impressed by the mentality Felton and his teammates brought to the experience.

“I became such a fan of Maryland football [in] that brief four-day period,” Thompson said. “They were so professional. They were eager to learn. They were just great guys, cool guys. It’s what you want in an athlete.”

Matthews and Harris drilled into the group the importance of recovery — an area Matthews said many college athletes overlook. Felton began to internalize what taking care of his body would do for his on-field performance.

“Being with those guys and having them be in the league for that long, you really realize the opportunity you have in front of you,” Felton said. “I’m just taking advantage of the opportunity I have.”

Matthews is a former second-round pick who set the SEC record for both receptions and receiving yards at Vanderbilt. He’s been in Felton’s position before, and was a fountain of knowledge for the young receiver.

Felton caught Matthews’ attention on their first day together, when Felton recorded a 40.4-inch vertical jump during initial evaluations. That would rank in the 94th percentile of NFL Combine participants since 1999, according to MockDraftable data.

The two talked about anything and everything football-related. Felton took it all in. Matthews gave him tips on how to prepare for the NFL, how to stay healthy, what to look for on film and how to play smart on the field.

“[Tai’s] level of explosiveness is very rare,” Matthews said. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s having success this year.”

Felton is performing at a historic level so far this season. He’s on pace to break Maryland’s single-season record in both receptions and receiving yards by comfortable margins, topping program legends Stefon Diggs, Jermaine Lewis, D.J. Moore and Torrey Smith.

Felton credits his breakout season to his off-the-field grind, taking pride in outworking those around him. But he also ensures his body feels good at all times — not just in a workout or on the field. That’s advice he picked up from Matthews at Exos.

“How I feel at the beginning of the day, before training, that should be the barometer on how healthy I am,” Matthews said. “After [a] workout, you feel good … that’s not really how you feel. You need to gauge that in the morning.”

Matthews brought Felton and his teammates to a place on the Gulf Breeze shoreline nicknamed Humble Hill. It’s a sand hill approximately 100 yards long with a steep incline. Matthews likes to test young athletes’ toughness at Humble Hill, which he and the Maryland group sprinted up six times.

Photo courtesy of Woody Thompson

Felton called it “the worst hill I ever ran in my life.” He said it took him over half an hour just to catch his breath when he was done. But he passed Matthews’ mental test and gained the veteran’s respect.

“Tai did not disappoint,” Matthews said. “I hit up [Maryland offensive coordinator Josh Gattis] and said ‘You got one, man. You got one.’”