B.E.S.T. Academy alumnus Qwan’tez Stiggers had the attention of 29 NFL teams all to himself last Friday during his NFL Pro Day workout.
Stiggers was a multi-sport athlete when he attended B.E.S.T. Academy, and he made the most of his opportunity by putting on an excellent workout for NFL scouts on his old stomping grounds.
His agent Frederick Lyles of NZone Sports Management Agency said bringing the Pro Day to B.E.S.T. Academy was very important to Stiggers because the school provided him with a great foundation as far as his character, academics as well as athletics. He felt that being at B.E.S.T. Academy helped him be the rounded individual that he is.
“Just to be back here and bring this type of exposure to my high school is most definitely a blessing.” he said. “Especially when I walked the halls with some of these guys.”
With the scouts on the field ready to watch and his family, former classmates, and current B.E.S.T. Academy students on the sidelines cheering him on, Stiggers put up some impressive numbers in his workouts and worked smoothly through the defensive back drills.
His best 40-yard dash time was in the 4.4 range, and he landed a 10’8” broad jump.
“This whole week I was 10’3”-10’4”, but that adrenaline kicked in and I tried to jump out the gym,” he said. “I feel like overall I had a good day.”
Stiggers’ pursuit of his NFL dreams didn’t follow the most typical path.
In 2020, his father was involved in a car accident and died months later during Stiggers’ freshman year at Lane College. He ended up leaving school and returning home to Atlanta to be with his family.
Stiggers found his way back to football and signed with Fan Controlled Football (FCF), an indoor football league, in 2022. His play that season was noticed by the Toronto Argonauts, a Canadian Football League (CFL) team.
Stiggers signed with the Argonauts in January 2023, and made the team despite having no collegiate football experience. But the surprises didn’t stop there.
Not only did he make the team, but he became a starter as a rookie, played in 16 games, recorded 53 defensive tackles and had five interceptions. His spectacular season earned him the CFL Most Outstanding Rookie award, and the Argonauts set its franchise record for single season wins (16). Stiggers was also selected to the CFL East All-Star team and played in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl.
Through all the adversity and uncertainty on his journey, Stiggers’ goals are within reach. He put on a great workout in front of NFL scouts and hopes to hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins on April 25.
“Chase your dreams, because they told me I couldn’t,” he said. “Today was just to remove the question mark that everybody had on me… I feel like I improved my draft stock today.”
B.E.S.T. Academy was beyond excited for Stiggers and showed up in numbers to show their support. Each drill was responded to with cheers, especially the defensive back drills where Stiggers showed off his agility and caught every ball thrown his way.
“It’s huge when you know all the sacrifices this kid has made and the things that he’s done to get to this point,” B.E.S.T. Academy athletic director Joshua Moore said. “It’s been a lot of excitement here, and it shows the kids that the opportunity is there and it’s attainable. You see it on TV a lot, but rarely do you see someone that you really know go through this process. I always tell my kids that your path is your path. Some people get it early, some get it late, and some people don’t get it at all, but your path is your path and focus on that and do the best you can.”
Stiggers has proven he can play at a professional level and the scouts have now seen him in action at the East-West Shrine Bowl and close-up during his Pro Day.
The last APS alumni to get drafted by an NFL team was Damian Swann, who went to Midtown High School and was drafted in 2015 by the New Orleans Saints.
Maybe soon APS will have another one of its own playing on Sundays.