From Division III football to the big leagues, former All-American safety Derek Slywka’s ’23 football journey took a turn, landing him on the radar of the NFL and ultimately signing with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

At the start of the 2023 college football season, 240 teams competed at the NCAA Division III level. For most of the programs, the thought of having a player on their roster receive an NFL Pro Day invite, much less a spot on an NFL training camp roster with a team, was wishful thinking. For Ithaca College, that dream became a reality for the first time in nearly 60 years. 

Following rookie mini-camp invitations from both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, it was announced that former All-American safety Slywka signed with the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts on June 6 at a much different position than he expected. The Waterloo, New York, native was invited for a workout at defensive back for the Colts after their 2023 fifth-round safety Daniel Scott suffered an Achilles tear during offseason team activities. However, it was announced Aug. 25 that Slywka was waived from the Colts. Then, the Argonauts announced Sept. 24 that they signed Slywka.

Slywka said he believed the same athleticism that made him one of Division III’s best ball-hawking safeties is what led to the Colts taking a chance on him, but not at the position he expected. 

“My high RAS [Relative Athletic Score] and just being a raw athlete — I think that’s what led them to being interested in me taking that next step at trying [wide] receiver,” Slywka said. “They had me do some receiver drills, and then they ultimately decided to let me come to their mini-camp as a receiver, and they liked what they saw, so they signed me.”

He got the chance to show that athleticism during the Colts’ second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. After coming in during the fourth quarter, Slywka turned in a respectable performance where he tallied two catches for 27 yards, including a third-down conversion that saw him break open deep over the middle of the field for a 24-yard gain.

Michael Toerper, head coach of the Ithaca College football team, said he bought NFL+ just to watch Slywka’s games and was able to watch that play as it happened. Toerper had been Slywka’s head coach and position coach during his junior and senior campaigns with the Bombers, and he said that catch made him feel proud.

“My heart was full and I was ready to explode with excitement,” Toerper said. “I did explode with excitement, screaming at the television for him, because that’s a moment. … That’s a moment of a lot of hard work, and I don’t care if it’s a preseason game. I don’t care what it is. The kid caught a ball in an NFL game.”

Slywka said he felt a similar sense of elation at that moment, though it was mixed with a hint of surprise.

“I’m running the route, and I break off at the top,” Slywka said. “I see the quarterbacks step up in the pocket, and it was one of those things you see him start to follow through and your eyes get real big because you’re like, ‘Oh, he’s about to throw it.’ It was a surreal moment looking back at it.”

All of this emotion could be seen in his celebration after the play, which served as a culmination of all of his hard work and effort on the gridiron to that point.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to stay with the organization. Slywka was waived during the final weekend of cuts and left unattached. He said that being cut was a difficult experience, but that he always had reasons to keep pushing forward in the face of uncertainty.

“This is your career, this is your profession,” Slywka said. “When there’s that unknown, you’re just walking through the desert, and trying to stay positive in your thought process. It definitely can be tough, but I think a lot of the self-work that I’ve done throughout the years [and] also focusing on mental health, I think it allowed me to approach that and find positives in that.”

From an outsider’s point of view, it seemed like things went quiet after Slywka was waived by Indianapolis, especially on social media. Those close to him, like his brother Kyle Slywka, said Derek was doing everything he could to stay prepared during that time.

He came back [to Waterloo],” Kyle Slywka said. “We picked up right where we left off, working out in the summer, lifting, doing fieldwork, doing the same stuff. [He] got in really good shape again, and just stayed ready for any opportunity.”

Pete Costanza, pass game coordinator and wide receivers’ coach for the Argonauts, gave Slywka the opportunity to play with the team. Costanza, who also played northeastern Division III football for the William Paterson University Pioneers, said the Argos scouting department first took notice of Slywka midway through summer 2024 and shared his first impression of the Bomber alum.

“You could tell he was very athletic,” Costanza said. “For a guy that just transitioned [to wide receiver], he didn’t look out of place. He had good size, caught the ball very well, transitioned in his routes really well. So for me, I was interested just because anytime you can get somebody with his size and speed and athletic ability in our league when we expand our practice roster, he was a good fit to bring up at this time of year and get some reps with us and see how he would develop.”

Costanza said Slywka did not take long to acclimate to the team, especially in terms of character. 

“He was respectful and quiet at first,” Costanza said. “He’s gotten to the point now where he’s asking questions, but he’s one of the first people always in the meeting room. You see him interacting with the rest of the receiving room, and they all get along great. I’ve got a good room of vets and some young guys mixed in here, but he fits right in. He comes across as just a blue-collar kid that likes to put his nose down and go work hard.”

The work Slywka has put in has not just paid off for him, though. In recent years, Ithaca College’s football program has produced several professional players for football leagues across the world, such as Mexico’s Liga de Fútbol Americano, the German Football League and the European League of Football. However, Slywka’s foray into the highest level of the sport in North America has resulted in a significant increase in national attention on the Bombers. Toerper said that as many as 15 different NFL scouts have come up to South Hill to inquire about players.

When asked about Slywka’s effect on the Bombers, Toerper said the tremors from the impact he has made could make ripples within the program for years. 

“He’s put Ithaca on the map as a place that’s going to have potential pro prospects,” Toerper said. “Also, there’s a way for us to speak in recruiting that you don’t have to settle for anything here. You can accomplish all of your dreams at Ithaca academically, socially, athletically, and if you’re good enough, they’re going to find you.”