The now-former West Virginia defensive end, now-future NFL outside linebacker — “To be honest with you,” Irvin said, “I don’t think there are 32 players in the country who are better than me.” — is using the hard sell to convince listeners he’s NFL ready.

And when I say hard sell, I don’t necessarily mean comparing himself to Clay Matthews, which would make him an attractive option early on in the draft, particularly with the Green Bay Packers, but rather by saying life was once hard and he’s come too far to go back now.

In short, there was no school, no football and barely flickering hope in Irvin’s life.

Even after Irvin’s mother moved in with his stepfather, he didn’t change. “Ignorance,” he said. In May 2007, Irvin spent three weeks in jail as a juvenile. When he came out, there was no welcome-home party. His mother and stepfather kicked him out of the house. For at least two months, Irvin bummed off friends.

A couch here for two weeks. A floor there for three weeks. A basement for a while.

“It made me a better person,” Irvin said. “It made me realize to take life a little more serious. Life was way more important than getting quick cash and having fun.”

And there is one distinct turning point. For some reason, Irvin had the sudden urge to take his General Education Development (GED) test and reboot a once-promising football career in November 2007. He moved out of one friend’s house for good, the same house that harbored drugs.

Literally one day later, that house was raided by police. Irvin’s friend was caught. He was free. On Nov. 14, 2007 – a day Irvin recites instantly – that friend called Irvin from jail.

“He said, ‘Go to school. God got you out of that house for a reason. Go to school and don’t look back,’ ” Irvin said. “I’ve never looked back since then.”