It’s by no means too late to leap on the Deestroying bandwagon. Nonetheless, conventional sports activities diehards who’re unfamiliar along with his work might should meet up with the greater than six million followers who observe him religiously on YouTube. The platform has been instrumental in permitting the athlete and influencer to construct a massively profitable and worthwhile artistic outlet over the previous decade.
Deestroying—actual identify Donald De La Haye—has constantly confirmed that sports activities could be much more entertaining than what you’re used to seeing on recreation days. In his movies, he’s each challenged and collaborated with an All‑Professional lineup of athletes and influencers on his YouTube channel, staging uniquely entertaining, extremely athletic competitions. His success has additionally afforded him the posh of touring so far as New Zealand to coach with that nation’s high athletes.
A deeper take a look at De La Haye reveals that the previous College of Central Florida kicker helped change the sport of faculty soccer as we all know it. His choice to forgo his faculty scholarship to pursue his then‑fledgling social media channel helped usher within the present NIL period, which has allowed faculty athletes to attain huge paydays.
“I believe my life is superb,” he says. “Everybody has their very own trials and tribulations and struggles, however I’ve so many constructive, nice issues happening for myself. I’m joyful, extraordinarily blessed and very simply fortunate general.”
The success of his channel has allowed Deestroying to get an actual style of professional soccer as a kicker. However final September, each previous‑college and social media‑savvy soccer followers bought their first actual style of Deestroying as an NFL sideline correspondent for the league’s YouTube‑unique broadcast between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil.
His reputation has prolonged his model past sports activities. Deestroying has gone from hitting subject objectives to hospitality entrepreneur, turning into a accomplice in a pair of Phoenix‑space Fats Tuesday eating places.
“I’ve the blessing of simply exhibiting up, clearly, selling, serving to with advertising, and utilizing my model,” he says.
And though it’s extremely unlikely the cameras will cease rolling on the lately engaged social media star anytime quickly, the rising calls for away from content material creation might have him quietly interested by what comes subsequent for the 29‑12 months‑previous. After saying that he and his fiancée expect a baby, Deestroying might be quietly plotting his social media exit technique as a way to spend extra time at dwelling. It could additionally open up some further time for him to pursue his newfound ardour for golf a bit extra.
“It’s sort of ironic, as a result of the older I get now, the much less I’m in having my complete life on social media,” he admits. “So I believe the most important problem is preserving the whole lot going, preserving the hearth and the fervour going for social media and content material, which I like. However on the similar time, I’m a grown grownup. I’m engaged, so actual life is popping out.”
Whereas lots of his YouTube drops are over‑the‑high enjoyable to observe, Deestroying nonetheless slips in not‑so‑refined hints of his intense coaching routine that permit him to maintain pushing his physique bodily whereas evolving as a profitable businessman. As a part of a latest Allstate marketing campaignhe kicked 1,000 40‑yard subject objectives in lower than 24 hours—a process that highlighted the athleticism required to be a kicker.
Behind the scenes—whether or not in his decked‑out dwelling fitness center, on an athletic subject, or in a lodge fitness center—Deestroying continues placing within the work as a way to proceed showcasing his expertise for his hundreds of thousands of followers. That, he says, gained’t finish anytime quickly.
“I’m obsessive about simply train and health. I’ve been that approach since I used to be 14. So if I am going two, three days with out the fitness center, I don’t really feel like myself.”
Deestroying
Inside Deestroying’s Storage Fitness center Grind
A day within the lifetime of Deestroying, he says, makes it practically not possible to keep up a set schedule. From fixed flights, to late nights of filming, to waking up and studying and responding to an enormous quantity of emails, to planning the following athletic problem to be filmed—and nonetheless discovering time for household—sticking to a routine has turn into as difficult as protecting Tyreek Hill one‑on‑one.
“I often plan the night time earlier than, relying on what I bought developing,” he says.
Discovering time to get in a exercise, although difficult, has turn into a non‑negotiable a part of Deestroying’s success blueprint. Whilst you see the ultimate product on social media, you don’t all the time see the work behind the scenes—and that begins within the weight room.
Recently, Deestroying has been proud to point out off his newly designed and absolutely geared up storage fitness center to his YouTube followers. Nike barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells, together with a Tonal sensible fitness center, fill one aspect of the area, as he walks viewers via what it takes to keep up a busy, unpredictable athletic schedule. “You simply bought to maintain the machine going, man.”
He says he usually sticks to a 5‑ to 6‑day cut up routine: higher physique on day one, decrease physique the following, adopted by a relaxation day. Whereas his movies are slicing‑edge, his weight‑room work depends on tried‑and‑true fundamentals. He’ll cycle via bench presses, dumbbell shrugs, chest flys, cranium crushers, and loads of rows.
He emphasizes preserving every rep sluggish and managed to extend time beneath pressure. He says that method helps construct energy and sturdiness—sufficient to face up to a full day on the sector. The outcomes of the grind, he insists, are well worth the punishment within the weight room.
“It’s simply the worst day of the week, however the most effective day of the week,” he says of leg day. “I simply do these and rotate and take a day break after which begin it over.”
His coaching routine is one other extension of the substance-over-style work required to excel over the long run—a message he tries to hammer dwelling to youthful athletes and wannabe influencers. Put within the work, regardless of the challenges, and good issues observe.
“My issues are completely different than all people else’s issues,” he says. “It’s nearly the way you deal with it. It’s about the way you present up day by day and don’t let life beat you down and simply present up with a constructive perspective.”
Deestroying
As soon as an Outcast Kicker, Deestroying Grew to become a Document-Setting Influencer
Whereas it’s estimated that in 2026 Texas quarterback Arch Manning will earn as much as $7 million, he’s simply one in all many faculty athletes benefiting, partly, from the trail Deestroying helped open when he selected YouTube over faculty soccer. The NCAA dominated him ineligible in 2017 for refusing to demonetize his channel, which then had fewer than 100,000 followers.
He now sits within the coronary heart of Solar Satan nation in Tempe, AZ, at one in all his two Fats Tuesday places—the opposite situated in close by Glendale, the place his influencer success has allowed him to take a position $1 million into the favored nationwide cocktail chain after assembly with firm CEO Alex Monahan whereas in New Orleans for Tremendous Bowl LIX. “Alex and his group are superb, he says. “It made issues tremendous simple for me.”
Together with his model at an all-time excessive, it’s simple to neglect that earlier than the early controversies, Deestroying was a standout kicker within the Sunshine State. After his profession was lower quick at UCF, he went on to a brief stint with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and performed two seasons with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas. For a second, he confirmed glimpses of what might’ve been—drilling a 55‑yard subject objective within the second quarter in opposition to the Michigan Panthers that traveled one other 10 yards past the uprights. However a damaged neck on a sort out in his first season, adopted by a groin damage the following, successfully ended his professional profession.
“It’s been a bit of little bit of a unfortunate skilled profession, however on the finish of the day, man, I’m blessed and fortunate,” he says. “I’m joyful I get to be right here having fun with sports activities.”
Ten years into his YouTube dominance, Deestroying remains to be discovering new methods not solely to create distinctive content material, but in addition to point out off his kicking experience. A latest Allstate marketing campaign set the bar: 1,000 subject objectives from 40 yards in 24 hours. The quantity, he says, demanded mobility and endurance, and it gave him an opportunity to point out that each one the work within the weight room helps dispel the notion that kickers aren’t elite athletes.
“It’s very groin heavy, it’s a number of simply groin motion on a regular basis,” he says. “So your groin, hip flexors, they’re undoubtedly going to get sore.”
True to his model, he constructed an expertise across the stunt—from grills for a noon meal to blow‑up mattresses, transportable chilly tubs, and therapeutic massage tables—to interrupt up the psychological monotony of, properly, 1,000 consecutive kicks. “Simply mentally realizing that it’s gonna be very redundant and really repetitive, I simply needed to discover a solution to distract myself in some way.”
A spin wheel added additional leisure for followers however additional punishment for him: gassers, push‑ups, even barefoot kicking. Because the hours piled up, so did the ache: sore groin, tight hip flexor, again ache, leg cramps, blisters, swollen toes. Being ambidextrous helped; he switched to his left foot when the best grew to become too painful.
By night time’s finish, he completed with 1,001 subject objectives. In the long run, he says, psychological prep was as vital as leg energy. “I’d be fairly mad at myself,” he says of a nasty stretch. “I’d simply should take a breather, step again for a second, simply sort of regroup myself and preserve telling myself: ‘You’ve accomplished this for what number of years now? That is simple. Simply lock in and deal with enterprise.’”
One Golf Duel Extra Vital than Viral Views
His YouTube channel has gathered greater than 1.6 billion views. Since launching it over a decade in the past, he’s collaborated with a bunch of NFL stars together with Cam Newton, A.J. Inexperienced, Marquette King, and this 12 months’s No. 1 draft decide, Travis Hunter. In New Zealand he’s educated with high rugby star Ardie Savea, whereas again dwelling within the U.S. he has toured the locker rooms of practically each main faculty soccer program.
His biggest athletic problem, nevertheless, could also be sitting throughout from him at Sunday household dinner. Together with his latest engagement, Deestroying isn’t solely gaining a life accomplice—he’s additionally inheriting an avid golf‑loving father‑in‑regulation who’s more than pleased to beat him on the course at any time when they get the possibility.
It’s a process he takes as significantly as matching up in opposition to different influencer athletes, resembling Logan Paul, whom he beat in a 2019 race, operating a blistering 10.8 within the 100 meters.
“We’d exit to golf, and I used to be horrible,” he says. “It didn’t really feel good to see this man each time and simply be trash at one thing he cares about a lot. So I put a bit of little bit of time in it. I purchased some golf equipment, went on the market, and I bought bit by the bug. I used to be addicted. I used to be {golfing} like 10 hours a day at one level, and the bug is actual.”
The obsession has been equal components enjoyable and frustration, however should you’ve seen the work Dee places in, and the outcomes that preserve coming from it, you recognize there’s no stop. Whereas going from Topgolf to the PGA looks like a attain—for now—it’s not fully out of the query. And perhaps that’s Deestroying’s final technique. “I all the time joke round and say, I’m gonna go professional in 5 years,” he says. “However who is aware of if that joke is likely to be a actuality?”
