Like a lot of football players, Malcolm Grant’s career appeared to have ended with his final college game.

The former Warren Central star had a burning desire to play professionally, but as a small-college wide receiver who didn’t put up a lot of stats in a run-oriented offense his opportunities were less than limited.

Eventually, he decided to make his own luck.

Through a combination of hard work, grit, determination and a little bit of phone harassment, Grant at last got the chance he was looking for. He has received an invitation to play in The Spring League, a combination scouting combine and instructional camp held in Austin, Texas, in April.

The Spring League sent nearly a dozen players on to NFL training camps in its inaugural season in 2017, and Grant is hoping to add to that number.

“It’s basically a league where we play in front of NFL scouts. They get maybe half of the guys and bring them into training camp,” Grant said. “It’s the guys that maybe made it through the practice squad or played on an NFL roster and got cut.”

On its website, The Spring League describes itself as “an elite instructional league, developmental platform, and scouting event for professional football talent.”

The Spring League is not affiliated with the NFL, but does work closely with teams to allow their scouts an opportunity to view players in a professional environment. The camp runs from March 28 through April 19. There are four teams and approximately 150 players, and games will be televised on Facebook Watch.

Most of the participating players are NFL veterans looking for another chance, or players who were cut by NFL teams in training camp. And then there’s a few like Grant, who more or less stuck his foot in the door and refused to take no for an answer.

After seeing a news story about the league, Grant said he contacted Spring League CEO Brian Woods. He was initially given the brush-off, but persisted and was invited to an open tryout camp last fall in Memphis.

His performance there — which included running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash — was good enough to earn an invitation to the main camp.

“I saw it on ESPN First Take, when they were talking about Johnny Manziel trying to get an opportunity. I saw it and said, ‘Let me see how I can work my way into getting in contact with the CEO.’ I told him the story and he said, ‘What makes you think you can make my league?’” Grant said. “It took about two weeks for him to actually get back with me. I called him again and just tried to hassle him. He said come on out here. It’s not guaranteed, but just show me what you can do. I ran the 4.3, and ran some routes and didn’t drop any passes, and he was telling me he was going to invite me.”

Unlike some of the other players in the league who have a strong football resumé, Grant is relying mostly on pure talent and grit. He caught 51 passes for 927 yards in two seasons at Warren Central and signed with Alcorn State in 2011.

Grant spent four seasons at Alcorn, but his college career fizzled. He transferred to Mississippi College in 2015 and caught one pass for four yards in his only season with the team.

“I went down there (to Alcorn) and they brought in some guys,” Grant said. “But I kept training and trying to find my way through the cracks.”

Since graduating from Mississippi College, he’s kept grinding. He’s worked with former Warren Central star Tony Smith — a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 1992 — to stay in shape with both speed and skill work.

“I’ve got some good hands, and I’ve been running a lot of routes. I’ve been catching 200 or 300 balls a day, just trying to make sure I’m ready,” Grant said.

And now he’s ready to take advantage of his big break. Grant’s speedy 40 time at the fall workout opened the door, and he said a couple of NFL teams have already been in contact with him.

He still knows, however, that there’s plenty of work still to be done before he sniffs an NFL contract. The 25-year-old also knows this is likely his only shot to get one.

“It’s a pretty good deal. I’m very excited. I’ve always wanted to play on the NFL level, so I kept working and stayed in shape hoping to get an opportunity to show what I can do,” Grant said. ““I’m looking at it like it’s an all-in, do-or-die type of situation. I’m ready, and I feel like it’s a great opportunity.”