NFL player meets students at his alma mater who designed his cleats

HAMILTON, Ohio — Every year during the NFL season, players have a chance to wear and design cleats to benefit an organization that is important to them.

For one Atlanta Falcon from southwest Ohio, he took it a step further and allowed students from his alma mater to design his cleats.

Malik Verdon is in the Big Leagues.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was about 5, so it’s definitely a dream come true,” Verdon said of being in the NFL.

But he’s never forgotten his roots.

“It’s a long journey,” he said. “You can’t forget where you come from.”

The Atlanta Falcon graduated from Hamilton High School in 2021 before playing at Iowa State. Now, the linebacker is back in his hometown, meeting with the students who helped design his cleats for My Cause My Cleats this season.

“It’s a dream come true,” Verdon said. “I mean, not just for me but for them as well. Being able to show someone that we’re all from there, like just because we’re from Hamilton or Cincinnati, Ohio, it’s not something that can be take for granted.”

Students like Hunter Burford, who dreams of going to the NFL one day.

Burford poses with Verdon. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

“It’s really awesome that he actually noticed mine,” Burfurd, an eighth grade student in the Hamilton School District, said. “That’s really cool that he got to wear it.”

While allowing the students to design the cleats, the cause was important to Verdon too. Just a Pair of Shoes is an Ohio non-profit that gives shoes to underprivileged kids.

Verdon picked several designs from nearly 10 students. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

“To be able to partner with an NFL player and, you know, really bring the community together,” Matt Cline, the founder of Just a Pair of Shoes, said. “It’s just a win for everybody. So and it’s very inspiring to see these kids.”

And at the end of the meet-up, these students got to take a pair home themselves.

Verdon said he’s already looking forward to working with the students next year on a new pair of cleats. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

Verdon said he’s already looking forward to next season, where he hopes to allow more students to design his cleats as a small way of saying thank you to Big Blue Nation.

“It’s amazing,” Verdon said. “You know, I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for here. So being able to come back and and get the love that I get and be able to return is it’s huge to me.”