Recovery Day: Texas Longhorns Star Justice Finkley Loves Chipotle, GoodSport Drinks & Vintage Tees

Before choosing to attend the University of Texas as the school’s outside linebacker in 2021, Justice Finkley was one of America’s “top defensive line recruits” with many offers from other schools like Stanford University. Now, the star athlete, college student and GoodSport athlete ambassador has taken some time from his busy schedule to talk to Athletech News about his sleeping patterns, food prep and greatest indulgences for our Recovery Day series.

Self-proclaimed Disney and Marvel “connoisseur” Justice Finkley is performing double duty as a student at the University of Texas as well as inspiring others as a GoodSport NIL athlete. Signed to the University of Texas as an outside linebacker for the school’s Texas Longhorns football team, the Trussville, Alabama native is hard at work but carves time out of his bustling schedule to relax and, of course, watch Disney and Marvel movies. “One fun fact about me is that I never really thought that I would play football at a high level until I got my first scholarship offer my freshman year of high school,” he tells Athletech News.   

Besides spending his days at the gym, on the football field or satisfying his thirst for the latest Avengers flick, Justice is also dedicated to connecting with his legion of fans. He recently announced a partnership with his Longhorns teammates and The Players’ Lounge to launch their Burnt Orange Heroes community. According to Finkley, Burnt Orange Heroes will present the “opportunity for us athletes to use NIL [Name, Image and Likeness] in a way that allows us to connect with our fans on a level that shows who we are outside of the sports we play.” With this new initiative in mind, it’s safe to conclude his 16,000 Instagram followers, 11,000 Twitter followers and 20,000 TikTok followers must be ecstatic. 

Still, for those just getting to know Justice Finkley, here are some little known facts from the superstar athlete himself for our Recovery Day series: 

Athletech News (ATN): Walk me through a typical day-off for you?

Finkley: On a typical day-off, I stretch and hit the hot and cold tubs in order to recover from the strenuous workouts during the week. I also prioritize any schoolwork that needs to be finished. Once I am done, I try to explore new places in Austin! 

ATN: What’s your go-to outfit when not at practice? 

Finkley: On a casual day, I’ll throw on a vintage tee and wear shorter length shorts with a 3”-5” inseam. I completed the look with a pair of Yeezy sneakers.

ATN: How do you start your day? 

Finkley: Every morning I wake up at 4:30 to prepare for the day ahead of me. I take cold showers in the morning to shock my body and I lay out my clothes for the day. 

ATN: When can you actually “relax”? 

On the weekends. 

ATN: What would we find on your Netflix/Hulu favorites? 

Finkley: Probably a lot of anime and Mission Impossible, right now.

ATN: Favorite restaurants/bars/nightlife, etc.?

Finkley: Chipotle. I think one week I ate Chipotle every night. Sometimes, on the weekend, I’ll go out on West 6th Street.  

ATN: How many days do you work out?

Finkley: As a team we work out 4 days out of the week. Sometimes, I will go off and do my own thing with a trainer. During all of my workout sessions, I drink plenty of GoodSport sports drinks before, during, and afterwards to stay hydrated as well as achieve peak performance. 

ATN: What do you do on your “off” day? 

Finkley: On my off day, I like to stretch and drink GoodSport so that I can be replenished for the next team workout! 

ATN: How much sleep do you get? 

Finkley: I get about 6-7 hours of sleep a night.  

ATN: Yes/No to fitness trackers? Data friend or the enemy?

Finkley: Yes. We wear Catapult Wearable Technology to track our heart rate and how fast we run. I also wear my Apple watch all the time when I workout with my trainer here in Austin.  

ATN: What does your food shopping/prep look like? 

Finkley: Outside of drinking a gallon of water a day and GoodSport, I go to the TANC (Texas Athletic Nutritional Center) and I always make sure my plate has a carb, protein and a vegetable/fruit. Outside of that, I will go get something from Chipotle. 

ATN: What does breakfast look like for you on a regular day? 

Finkley: In the mornings I will always make a plate with 2 pancakes, 2 turkey sausage links and a non fat yogurt bowl with strawberries, blueberries, granola and honey with a 40 gram protein shake.  

ATN: What are some of your favorite restaurants…when you are being super good…and when you are indulging? 

Finkley: When I am being super good, Chipotle is my go-to and when I choose to indulge on the weekends, I go to Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A or to a Chinese restaurant. 

ATN: Vitamin/supplement regimen? 

Finkley: Every morning, I take fish oil, Vitamin D and a Magnesium pill. 

ATN: What are some of your greatest indulgences? 

Finkley: Sweets are my indulgence. Specifically in Austin, a cookie cake or a donut from VooDoo Donuts. When I am visiting home or when my parents visit I always request cookies and cake from Edgar’s Bakery in Trussville. I allow myself to eat off plan sometimes. It helps me to remember to enjoy some of the fun things in life. 

ATN: Can you disconnect from “devices” (ie. emails, work)? 

Finkley: Yes, although there is always something going on so I try to check my email and notifications regularly. 

ATN: How many hours do you spend on social media? 

Finkley: Collectively in a day, I will spend about an hour on social media.