Drs. Elliott Cleveland and Will Fortner of The Movement Doctors working the Cade Klubnik Youth Football Camp on Saturday at Daniel High School. Fortner was recently hired with The Movement Doctors team.
Mark Beery | For The Easley Progress
EASLEY — Last Saturday, Will Fortner helped out with the 2025 Cade Klubnik Youth Football Camp at Daniel High School. He almost looked like some defensive back getting after it.
But he wasn’t trying to knock down any passes or lock down any receivers.
Instead, he was working for The Movement Doctors.
“I want to thank Elliot and Erin (Cleveland) for giving me the opportunity to be back in Easley,” said Fortner. “I am excited to start this journey with The Movement Doctors and look forward to what God is going to do through this.”
Continued Fortner, “I have always had a fascination with sports and everything that is involved with performing at the highest level. After participating in physical therapy for my own injuries, I felt called by God to give back to athletes in the same way my physical therapist did for me.”
Fortner, a 2019 graduate of Easley High School, ran cross country for coaches Ron Sullivan and Braxton Sherriff. He quickly learned how competition — and running for those beside you — can bring the best out of a person.
“One thing I will never forget from my time running cross country at Easley is how important culture is in order for a team to achieve something bigger than themselves,” said Fortner. “I learned to surround myself with people that will challenge me to work harder, learn more, and give everything I have to be the best I can be.”
Beyond sports, though, Fortner will always be grateful for two of his high school teachers at Easley – Jan Burroughs and Kathy Grant. From taking the anatomy class of Burroughs, he learned a love for the human body and how everything works for a person to function at an optimal level. From Grant, he learned to be a “continuous learner” from her AP Language and Composition class.
After graduating from EHS, Fortner knew exactly where he wanted to continue his education at in college.
Clemson University … it was a no brainer.
Fortner went on to graduate from Clemson in 2023 and then the Medical University of South Carolina in 2025. He’s now referred to as a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Looking back on his days at Clemson, Fortner said, “I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to attend there to learn so much and meet so many great people. I will always cherish the Freshman year dorm living with my best friend Andrew Dye, watching the most exciting 25 seconds in college football from the student section, and having my Clemson ring to tie me to generations of past and future Tigers. It was a dream come true to attend Clemson.”
Fortner, 24, is quick to credit two things for all of his schooling that he has been able to complete: His faith in Jesus Christ and the support of his family.
“God’s abounding grace and mercy that is received through faith in His Son has allowed me live free and live boldly as I pursue my dreams,” Fortner said. “Without my faith in Christ, I definitely would not be where I am today. He has placed a calling on all to serve, and I am so blessed that His plan for me involves me being able to serve the community that has given so much to me.
“I owe so much to my family for helping me get to this point in my life. I have learned so many lessons from each one of them, and there are no words for how thankful I am for those lessons. From learning the importance of hard work from my Papa Dub to learning how to have fun in every situation from my sister Leila and so many more in between. My family has had my back every single step of this crazy journey, and I thank them for that.”
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.