Did Roman Reigns ever play college football?

Find out whether the current 'face' of WWE was ever associated with another beloved sport of America.

Did Roman Reigns ever play college football?

Roman Reigns (Image via Twitter)

Roman Reigns, aka Leati Joseph Anoa’i, is a professional wrestler currently signed to the WWE. He is a multiple-time WWE Champion and is widely considered one of the top stars in the company today.

Reigns comes from a long line of professional wrestlers, including his father Sika Anoa’i and his uncle Afa Anoa’i, who were known as the Wild Samoans. He started his wrestling career in WWE‘s Florida Championship Wrestling and then moved on to NXT.

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Reigns has had a highly successful career in WWE, winning numerous championships and headlining several major pay-per-view events. He is known for his powerful in-ring style and his ability to connect with audiences as both a hero and a villain. Reigns is also considered as one of the all time best’s in WWE along with John Cena and the Rock.

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However, things would have been completely different for Reigns if some things would have aligned for him. The WWE champion played as a strong DT in college, as was also considered as a decent prospect in the NFL draft.

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Did Roman Reigns play college football ?

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Before pursuing a career in professional wrestling, Roman Reigns played college football at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia. Reigns played on the defensive line for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2003 to 2006.

Reigns was part of the team that won the ACC championship in 2004. He was known for his size and athleticism, standing at 6’3″ and weighing over 260 pounds.

Reigns played in 38 games during his college career and recorded 40 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He was also named in the First-team All-Atlantic Coast conference in 2006 and also earned numerous honors by recording over 40 tackles, two fumble recoveries and 4.5 sacks.

Reigns was aspiring for a full-time career in football and also registered himself for the NFL draft. However, things didn’t work out for him as he went undrafted during the NFL 2007 draft.

Roman Reigns played professional football in the NFL and the CFL

Roman ReignsRoman Reigns (Image via Bleacher Report)

After being undrafted in the NFL draft, Roman Reigns was signed by the Minnesota Vikings and also had an offseason stint with them. However, fate wasn’t kind to the young DT, who was diagnosed with leukemia and was released by the team shortly after that.

Regardless, the wrestler didn’t lose hope, as the Jaguars signed him shortly after but released him a year later after seeing no potential in him. Reigns was later signed by the Edmonton Eskimos in 2008, where he played in the CFL or the Canadian Football league.

He played as a defensive tackle and appeared in five games for the team, recording one tackle and one fumble recovery. The WWE champion was released by the Eskimos as well, and this is where he decided to retire from football and focus on wrestling as a full-time career.

Football wasn’t kind to Roman Reigns. However, everything worked out for him in the end. He is currently one of the faces of the WWE organization and has amassed a huge fan following in the process.

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