“Teachers said I’d never graduate high school”: Jon Cole on being the underdog
Jon Cole has never been the obvious pick. The Berlin Thunder wide receiver has spent his entire career proving people wrong, from junior college in the United States to the highest level of football in Europe. In the latest episode of Inside the League, he opened up about what keeps driving him, and the hardest moment he has ever faced off the field.
Always counted out, always coming back
Cole’s path to the AFLE was anything but straight. He started at junior college before moving on to Arizona Christian University, a small NAIA school, where he became a two-time All-American and the all-time leading receiver. Still, the questions about his level of competition followed him. He then moved to Germany and helped the Kirchdorf Wildcats earn promotion from the GFL 2, before getting his first ELF opportunity with Munich. An injury cut that short. The following year, he started the season without a roster spot.
“Yes, sir. I do feel like I’m an underdog, especially coming from a small school like a JUCO and then an NAIA. Even when I’m a two-time All-American and all-time leading receiver there, it gets diminished away sometimes because you’re at a smaller school.”
A phone call that changed everything
The weeks before Cole joined the Enthroners in 2025 were the hardest of his life. His birth mother, whom he had reconnected with, was placed on life support. He and his sister had to make the decision to take her off. Football was the last thing on his mind, even as he kept training every day.
“I was honestly like done thinking about football. I’m watching somebody on life support and watching them for four days. And I’m with my sister and it’s just me and her making the decision. And I sat from like eight in the morning to like 5 p.m. trying to decide. Watching that process changed my mentality, my heart and everything.”
Then came a call from Coach Cooper. A player had gone down with the Enthroners and there was a spot available. Cole did not hesitate.
“If you really want to prove yourself and show that you’re a good player, this is how you do it. Playing against the best, even in a hard situation.”
Changing the mentality of a team that had stopped believing
When Cole arrived at the Enthroners, the mood in the squad was not good. The team had no winning tradition and not much belief either. Cole made it his job to change that, starting with the receiver group and working outwards.
“When I got there, everybody’s mindset was like, it is what it is, don’t expect nothing more. And I’m like, nah, you’re supposed to expect more. Even if we’re going to lose every game, we better be in a dogfight. Never quit.”
The season was a tough one, but Cole finished it as the ELF’s comeback player of the year, an award he says he did not even know existed until a few weeks before the end of the season.
What gets him out of bed every morning
When asked what motivates him, Cole did not talk about contracts or stats. He talked about his family, his friends and the kids he now mentors back in Texas through a programme called Inspire with Tara, where he teaches young men about values, communication and what it means to grow up.
“Since I was a kid I’ve always been counted out. Teachers said I’d never graduate high school, never graduate college, never play football. So that’s my motivation every day. And just being happy to wake up knowing I’m blessed and have another opportunity to be something, help somebody, or just be a light for somebody else.”
Now with the Berlin Thunder, Cole is ready to make noise again in the AFLE’s inaugural season.
