GREEN BAY, Wis. - In college, nothing was going right on the field for Julian Hicks. So, long before he was fighting for a roster spot with the Green Bay Packers, he almost gave up the game that he loved.
On Saturday, when the Packers play at the Indianapolis Colts in the second preseason game of the year, Hicks will have the opportunity of a lifetime to show he belongs in the NFL. With almost all of Green Bay's top receivers injured, Hicks, who is in his second training camp with the team, will practically be an elderstatesman and might be a go-to player for quarterbacks Malik Willis, Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma.
In 2024, Hicks went undrafted and unsigned. He was one of 18 players invited to the Packers' rookie camp for a tryout and earned a contract.
It was a reward for his resilience. He started his career at Central Michigan in 2018; the Chippewas went 1-11 and changed coaches. In 2019, he transferred to Akron, with the Zips finishing 0-12. In 2020, he caught only two passes during the COVID season.
So, it was on the road again, with Hicks transferring down a rung to Albany, an FCS school. He missed his entire debut season, first following thumb surgery and then with a torn ligament in his ankle.
After the ankle injury, he had had enough.
He was ready to call it a career. The coach at the time, Greg Gattuso, talked him out of it.
"Sometimes it's unreal to think about, but I use myself as a testament," Hicks said this week. "Just try to keep working and God put me here for a reason, so I try to put my best foot forward each day."
What kept him going?
"That's a good question, man," he said. "Really just praying, just trusting God and just continuing to have faith and knowing that there's something at the end of the tunnel."
The light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a freight train. In 2022, he caught 24 passes for 347 yards and six touchdowns. In 2023, he caught 50 passes for 820 yards and 11 touchdowns to get himself on NFL radars.
Hicks wouldn't be in Green Bay without his ability and mental toughness. He also wouldn't be here without longtime NFL standout Mohamed Sanu. Sanu, who had five seasons of more than 55 receptions during his NFL career, is Hicks' receivers coach when he's not in Green Bay.
"His nephew went to Albany with me," Hicks said. "I met him, connected with him through that. Always told him I was a big fan of his game and would love to work out with him if the opportunity came. Me and him ended up working out. We got super-close. For my draft process, everything I did was with him - workouts, 40 time, mentality, learning everything I can and just tried to pick his brain."
Sanu is part of Legacy Sports Complex, a group of gyms in Georgia. They continued their work this offseason.
"I trust him," Hicks said. "He cares about me - he's like a big brother to me."
Other than the finer points of route-running, which might be the strength to Hicks' game, judging by how often he's targeted by the quarterbacks, what did he gain from Sanu?
"Just the mentality," he said. "Just knowing my situation, being undrafted, being a tryout guy, I've got to be perfect. Hard work's got to be there every day. Just got to try to be different. He's hard on me, which I want. I always ask him to be hard on me because coaches are hard on me, everybody's on me, expect a lot out of me, so just bringing that to the table every day."
The expectations were amplified this week, with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs and Savion Williams missing the joint practice against the Colts on Thursday and unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game.
Of Green Bay's healthy receivers, only Malik Heath has more experience with the Packers.
"Just trying to keep working, keep grinding," Hicks said. "We're down a couple guys but that next man up. Guys got to step up and make plays and be ready to go."
Heath and free-agent addition Mecole Hardman are the front-runners for a potential sixth receiver spot on Green Bay's opening 53-man roster. They haven't seized control of the job, though. To be sure, Hicks is a long shot to beat them out, but coach Matt LaFleur talks frequently of a 70-man roster that includes the 17-man roster. That's where Hicks spent all of last season.
For a player who endured so much adversity in college, Saturday's game will be an enormous opportunity for Hicks to show he's worthy of his place with the Packers.
"Just trying to be a different player than I was last year," he said. "Just got to keep stacking days and keep striving."