Rob Gronkowski, the All-Pro tight end who left the N.F.L. after the 2018 season, plans to return to the league, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gronkowski, who did not officially retire when he stepped away from the game last March, was traded by his old team, the New England Patriots, to Tampa Bay, […] More
Football and music are Andrew Thomas’s passions, and early on, to the bewilderment of his high school coaches, he practiced both at the same time. An offensive tackle, Thomas would pretend his pads were drums, banging on them while standing on the sideline. Sometimes he would even do it in the huddle as the quarterback […] More
From his size to his post-football aspirations, there is nothing remotely tiny about Derrick Brown — nicknamed Baby Barack at Auburn. When he wasn’t thwarting triple-teams or mauling quarterbacks as one of the nation’s best defensive linemen, Brown devoted himself to helping others, on campus and in the community. He presided over the committee that […] More
As he established himself at Ohio State as the best cornerback in his draft class, Jeff Okudah found a role model in Darius Slay. In each of the last three seasons, Slay earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Detroit Lions, who hold the No. 3 pick in the draft. The two are mutual admirers […] More
Growing up, A.J. Epenesa and his two oldest siblings were always bigger than their teammates, and their father, Eppy, made sure they worked harder, too. On summer days, they would run a mile to and from a bridge — stopping there to do core workouts — scale hills at a local park, and flip tires […] More
Before he would play five positions on Clemson’s defense — sometimes in the same game, always to devastating effect — Isaiah Simmons had none. Many of the programs recruiting him didn’t know where, or how, he would fit. Even Clemson envisioned him only as a safety. “You never guess a guy’s going to turn into […] More
As a left tackle, Austin Jackson plays the role of protectorate — taking care of a precious commodity, a quarterback’s blind side. It’s a role for which the 20-year-old from the University of Southern California has long been prepared. For as long as he can remember, Jackson has looked after his sister Autumn, who is […] More
The last time he changed teams, from DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., to Ohio State, Chase Young made an indelible impression on his recruiter. “We talked on the phone probably more than anyone I’ve ever recruited,” said Larry Johnson Sr., the Buckeyes’ defensive line and associate head coach. “Sometimes at 10 at night he would […] More
