It may sound cliché, but Zaire Andre literally lives and breathes football. The Inglewood native started his sports journey at the age of five years old. He played youth sports (football and basketball) in Inglewood and attended multiple grade schools including Dodson and Carnegie Middle School, which led him to Crenshaw High School.
He graduated from Inglewood High School with a full ride scholarship to play football at Washington State University. After spending two years in Washington, Andre came back home to Los Angeles and transferred to El Camino Junior College, where he earned his Associate’s degree.
He continued his football journey in San Antonio, Texas at the University of Incarnate Word and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2019.
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Now, Andre is utilizing the skills and experience he’s acquired throughout the years to teach and inspire the youth and young adults of Los Angeles with BornBaller Academy. This 501c3 youth sports organization specializes in elite wide receiver training for all ages and all levels, some as young as five years old and the oldest being in their 20s.
Their primary mission is to “achieve personal development in youth student-athletes for a bright future as a college athlete. BornBaller Academy will not only prepare young people for the next level, but we will enable these student athletes to become productive citizens and great leaders.”
Andre founded BornBaller Academy once he graduated from college in 2019. The inspiration behind the academy’s name is because it relates to his lifestyle, which he emphasized can relate to others as well.
The term “born baller” refers to someone who is exceptionally talented or skilled at sports. These skills may have developed at a young age, seemingly standing out from other athletes. They make sports look easy, and work extremely hard to ensure they stay on top of their game.
It is without a doubt that he is contributing to the athletic growth of those who participate in his training, and essentially honing and shaping the skills of the future of football.
Andre started this organization to give back the knowledge and firsthand experience of the game he had to offer by surrounding himself with some of the greatest.
He explained his motive as “taking all the knowledge that I learned from all the great coaches and passing it down to the youth so that they can go farther by being exposed early to this knowledge.
“As time went on, my brand grew bigger and bigger and became more of a family where I have kids from all ages and levels across states that I mentor and help develop their game to take to next level,” he said.
Andre’s hard work, dedication, commitment, and discipline earned him the full scholarship to play in college. His mantra is “waking up every day with the motive to win.”
Although he could not just name one success story – because there have been many – he told the Sentinel that “helping kids on a daily basis and putting them in positions to go to college on a full ride scholarship” is what stands out the most to him.
Some techniques Andre utilizes to train include catch drills, speed and agility, footwork exercises, endurance training, and much more.
For more information on BornBaller Academy, visit https://www.instagram.com/bornballeracademy/
