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Steven Pickard Jr. discovered a new home in summer 2023.

The offensive lineman had seen Velocity Athlete Development, a training center just outside Atlanta, Georgia, on his X feed. Despite Velocity being five hours away from the ninth grader’s home in Charleston, South Carolina, Pickard Jr. decided to try it.

“I remember seeing a lot of college o-linemen, and they even had some NFL guys in there at the time,” Pickard Jr. said. “It was just a playground full of o-linemen.”

After nine consecutive days of training at Velocity in 2023, he practiced there for 55 days straight the next summer while staying in a hotel with his father, Steve Pickard Sr.

His relentless training at Velocity’s indoor weight room and field, focusing on his technique, footwork and strength, helped him improve his pass-blocking and recruiting stock. On Jan. 25, Pickard Jr., a three-star guard at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, committed to Syracuse, becoming the eighth recruit in SU’s 14th-ranked 2026 class, per 247Sports.

Before transferring to IMG ahead of his junior season, Pickard Jr. was in a run-heavy offense at Philip Simmons High School in Charleston. Pickard Jr. said he needed to grow his pass-blocking skills.

That’s when Pickard Jr. discovered Velocity. When he first got to the facility, Pickard Jr. weighed about 270 pounds. But he wanted to take football more seriously.

“I just really wanted to get better,” Pickard Jr. said. “And that’s when I was first realizing I had the frame and that I had potential and that I could really go somewhere in football.”

Pickard Jr. said Velocity coaches taught him how to kick-step properly, what to watch for in onrushing defensive linemen and when to shoot his hands.

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After the training, Pickard Jr. returned to Philip Simmons for his sophomore season at 315 pounds. His work showed, helping the Iron Horses win their first eight games and go 10-2.

“I was putting dudes on the ground, and I actually knew how to play the game better than I did (before),” Pickard Jr. said. “That coaching helped me so much.”

Following his sophomore year, Pickard Jr. announced his transfer to IMG. But he had to wait to move in, since IMG was a boarding school. So, he stayed in Atlanta.

While staying at his hotel, he and Pickard Sr. flew or drove to camps throughout the summer. Pickard Jr. trained six days a week and devoted one day to stretching.

In between the two-hour training sessions, Pickard Jr. ate his favorite meal — 1.5 pounds of chicken, rice, corn and barbecue sauce — as he looked to add more muscle, he said.

By staying consistent, Pickard Jr. felt he was getting better, and Velocity’s technology backed up his feeling. His coaches used measurables to tell him where he improved and muscle groups he could focus on.

Then, he combined the body training with on-field work by dissecting film from his camps. Pickard Sr. shared videos he took on his phone with Luke Schultheiss, Velocity’s director of athlete development, who helped Pickard Jr. prepare for his next camp. Velocity also had a live video feed so Pickard Jr. could review a rep in real time before doing another.

“It definitely helped, and I felt like I was getting better every week and learning so much more football knowledge than I had before,” Pickard Jr. said.

Pickard Sr. noticed a significant improvement from his son, too.

“He became more fundamentally sound,” Pickard Sr. said. “We talk a lot about being bigger, faster, stronger. He definitely made progress during that time frame, and it really prepared him for another level of football that he experienced at IMG.”

After 55 days in Atlanta, Pickard Jr. went home for about five days before moving into his dorm at IMG and starting practice the next day. He slotted in immediately as the starting left guard on IMG’s White team, which competes on a regional scale. Still, Pickard Jr. stayed close with Velocity coaches. Every Sunday morning, he called Schultheiss to review film of IMG’s previous game and prepare for its next opponent.

“He treated it like an absolute pro,” Schultheiss said. “(He) was able to handle his academics, was able to handle football, film, everything else.”

In early October 2024, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, forcing Pickard Jr. to fly to Atlanta to train at Velocity again. He trained there before school resumed, and he helped IMG finish the season 9-3.

After visiting Syracuse for its victory over Miami on Nov. 30, 2024, Pickard Jr. visited SU again on Jan. 25. At an SU men’s basketball game against Pitt, head coach Fran Brown and now-general manager Thomas Caporale offered Pickard Jr., and he accepted on the spot.

“(His commitment to SU) really just goes to a testament of how hard Steve worked for that, and he had his mind set on one goal and was able to achieve that,” Schultheiss said.

With one more summer before joining Syracuse as an early enrollee in December 2025, Pickard Jr. is going back to Velocity to get bigger, faster and stronger, Pickard Sr. said. He’s aiming for a spot on the IMG National Team, the highest of its three squads, and IMG offensive line coach Chris Parker expects him to make the jump, syracuse.com reported.

Once Pickard Jr. completes his senior season and signs his letter of intent, he’ll get to sign a flag that will hang on the walls of Velocity. Schultheiss said it will serve to inspire future players.

Velocity shaped Pickard Jr. into a Division I prospect. He entered as an undersized lineman who lacked a full skill set. He left with a full arsenal of abilities that he’ll bring to Syracuse next season.

“It really changed my perspective,” Pickard Jr. said. “It really helped me understand the game better and I don’t think I’d have as much good of an understanding as I do at the moment if I didn’t go to Velocity.”

Published on March 26, 2025 at 11:21 pm
Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32