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Former Penn State forward signed to Kansas City Chiefs practice squad

Ross Travis

AP

AP

After playing four seasons of college basketball at Penn State, forward Ross Travis decided to give pro football a shot. While the 6-foot-7 Minnesota native was seen as having the build and athleticism required to give such a transition a chance, he hadn’t played football since his freshman year of high school.

Given the lack of experience it came as no surprise that Travis wasn’t taken in this spring’s NFL Draft, but that didn’t keep him from working towards the goal of landing a spot with an NFL franchise. And Sunday that perseverance paid off, as Travis was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP Minneapolis.

Beyond thankful for the opportunity to be a Kansas City Chief! pic.twitter.com/G2Wh2Ywdj6

— Ross Travis (@RossJumpkid) September 7, 2015


The practice squad is different from the 53-man roster that teams had to work their way down to this weekend (the 53-man roster deadline fell on Saturday), as it consists of ten players who went through the waiver process prior to joining said group. And he joins a team that already has one tight end who has made the transition from college basketball to the pro gridiron in former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris.

Kansas City has four tight ends on its 53-man roster, led by Travis Kelce, and it goes without saying that making the move from the practice squad to the active roster can be tough for any player much less one with the on-field experience of Travis. But, being on the practice squad allows Travis to get the reps that he’ll need as he looks to make that transition.