Australian ex-NRL prodigy takes huge step in his quest to become an NFL star
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Meet the former NRL prodigy who turned down an offer from the Broncos to pursue the unlikely NFL dream, and is now playing in the biggest game in college football.
- Thomas Yassmin was a leading rugby player at the Sydney school.
- He turned his back on the NRL when he was awarded a full scholarship to the US university.
- Now he’s about to play in the biggest American college soccer game of the season.
Sydneysider Thomas Yassmin is about to play in the biggest football game of his life after giving up his dream of rugby league to pursue fortune and glory in the NFL.
The 200 cm, 113 kg athlete had never played on the gridiron when he joined the Utah Utes in 2018, but he quickly made such an impression that he will play tight end for them in the biggest game in college football, the Rose Bowl, the Tuesday (Australia). time).
Before traveling to the United States, the 22-year-old played rugby union at Sydney’s private Scots College, excelling so well that he was pursued by the NSW Waratahs and NRL Brisbane and Manly clubs.
A winger who played alongside Sydney Roosters star Billy Smith, Yassmin turned his back on what seemed like a genuine path to professional soccer in Australia when he landed a fully-paid scholarship with Utah.
At 200 cm and 113 kg, Yassmin (pictured practicing for the University of Utah) is the ideal size for a tight end, but his speed is one of the things that makes him special.
The 22-year-old rose to prominence as a rugby player while attending school in Sydney (pictured)
He was discovered by a coach at the University of Hawaii and surprised football experts by clocking an exceptional time of 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Yassmin had so much to catch up to when he joined the Utah soccer program that it took him three full years to catch up on two key elements of the game that would be completely foreign to any Australian: learning the massive playbook and learning how to block.
‘Even at the beginning of the year, I had been here four years and was about to throw in the towel. I felt like I was going nowhere,’ he told the daily telegraph.
He got his big break when two players ahead of him on the tight end depth chart suffered injuries, paving the way for him to get some serious playing time.
Yassmin did not disappoint, had a great game against rival Arizona State, and now ranks fifth on the team for receiving yards after scoring five touchdowns.
Utah quarterback Cam Rising praised the Australian as he prepared to play Penn State in the big game, known as “the granddaddy of them all” in America.
“That guy is just a specimen, that’s the best way to put it,” he said.
Yassmin found the transition to football so difficult that she almost quit the game.
His determination was rewarded when he finally got a lot of playing time this year, and five touchdowns later, he’s about to play in the Rose Bowl.
‘He’s as big as you want a tight end to be and he’s quick as a receiver. He does a great job just having that rugby experience.
“You want to get the ball in his hands as fast as you can so he can run and handle the rest.”
If he has a breakout game in the Rose Bowl, Yassmin is sure to draw a lot of attention from NFL teams ahead of this year’s draft.
But if he can’t make it in the US, a return to top-tier soccer in Australia is definitely on the cards.
‘Coming out of secondary school I had a few offers from the NRL and rugby union. When I was offered a full scholarship to a prestigious university, and to play sport at the highest level you can in a non-professional way, it was not an opportunity I could pass up,” he said.
‘If the opportunity to play NRL or rugby presents itself, I’m not going to say no. But for me, I want a shot in the NFL.’