At 7:30 a.m., the sound of barbells clashing together carries through the thin walls of the Wilson Center.

While many 23-year olds are still sleeping, Joel Locker is in Tulane Unversity's weight room getting ready for the St. Louis Rams training camp.

The former Green Wave defensive end was signed to a two-year conditional contract that includes a $5,000 signing bonus.

Locker has a workout regiment that would make most people exhausted just hearing about it.

The workout begins with an hour and a half run and ends with two hours of strength training.

The hard work has resulted in large gains of speed and strength.

Locker's bench press was 350 pounds in his freshman year at Tulane. Today, he lifts over 385 pounds.

The increase in bench press is impressive, but his gain on squats is the real eye catcher.

In the last three years, Locker's squat has improved from 380 pounds to 570 pounds.

A time of 4.61 in the 40-yard dash can be partially attributed to the increase in lower body strength.

That is an impressive time for an athlete who weighs over 240 pounds.

When Locker played outside linebacker for the Slidell High Tigers, his time in the 40-yard dash was in the range of 4.8-4.9.

"He is an extremely hard worker," said Slidell head football coach Wayne Grubb. "Joel not only did what the coaches told him to do, but he also did drills on his own. He is a fine kid and a good student."

Locker's high school career started off with a bang.

He made the evening news of all three local networks with an interception that he returned for a touchdown against cross-town rival Salmen.

"It was the second game I played in," said Locker. "I was just happy to be playing. It was definitely the highlight of my high school career. I read the screen pass all the way and managed to make the play."

It seemed likely that Locker would receive a scholarship to a major football program.

Locker received calls from Auburn, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

After an injury riddled senior season, the major schools backed off and Tulane stepped in.

"I was a little disappointed after having such high expectations going into my senior year, but I was grateful that they gave me an opportunity to redeem myself."

Locker was red shirted his freshman year, but was anxious to display his talent.

Unfortunately, the Green Wave would only win 11 games in the next five years.

One of the victories came in 1995, when Locker had an inteception and several quarterback pressures against Rice.

Locker feels that a childhood dream would be fulfilled if he can make a roster spot.

St. Louis is one of the NFL's youngest teams and should be much improved under new coach Dick Vermeil.

"I am keeping a positive attitude about the situation," said Locker. "I feel that I have a decent chance. The NFL has a lot more drops and movement. So, I need to become a student of the game and study more playbooks."

All that anyone can ask for is a chance to showcase one's ability.

Joel Locker gets his chance next week, when he leaves for the Rams three-day mini camp.