I played college basketball, and the only reason I could play collegiately is because I was a “gym rat” - I’m horribly and painfully average in every physical measurable. When I was a kid, I’d sneak into the local college and play when no one was around. (I came from a small town that didn’t have many options for indoor basketball.)
Gym rats have a way of thriving. Not the most endearing term, but there’s a reason they survive the apocalypse. He’s a “football guy”, and we know the Miami Dolphins love those kinds of guys.