8 Country Stars Who Played College Football Before Making It in Nashville

Did you know these eight country singers also had major skills on a football field? They all played college ball before deciding that music was a bigger driver in their lives. These country stars almost had an entirely different career.

Kris Kristofferson

[RELATED: 56 Years Ago Today, Janis Joplin Stepped in the Studio To Record the Haunting Kris Kristofferson Tune That Granted Her Immortality]

Before Kris Kristofferson could write some of country’s most beloved tracks, he was a pass-catching end and linebacker at Pomona College in California. His skills on the field were so lauded he landed a Sports Illustrated feature, not once but twice.

Sam Hunt

Moving on to more modern stars, we have Sam Hunt, who was a starting quarterback at Middle Tennessee and UAB. Before staking his claim in country music, the “Body Like A Back Road” singer thought about pushing into the NFL. Luckily for us music fans, he decided on a different path.

Chase Rice

Chase Rice was a Tar Heel in college. The linebacker-turned-country star had a steep uphill journey to music. He made a brief pit stop in NASCAR, working on Ryan Newman’s crew. But he eventually found his footing in country and built a career as a singer.

Riley Green

Before he could take the world by storm from a stage, Riley Green was burning up the field at Jacksonville State as a quarterback. After leaving school, he hung up his helmet, put on a cowboy hat, and found his place where he belonged: on country music’s biggest stages.

Lee Brice

Lee Brice unfortunately had a short-lived football career before an arm injury ended that part of his life. That unforeseen circumstance led him to country music, where he earned some ACM Awards, a CMA, and plenty of fans.

Gavin Adcock

The  “A Cigarette” singer played defensive lineman at Georgia Southern for a while before deciding to stop fighting to balance sports and music. He transitioned into country stardom after he decided to give up football.

Koe Wetzel

Koe Wetzel was a linebacker at Tarleton State before he, too, left school and headed for Music City. Like many others on this list, Wetzel found out that becoming a country star required your undivided attention.

Jon Langston

Finally, we have Jon Langston. This country singer played college football at Gardner-Webb before the effects of concussions sidelined him. While that was likely a major bummer at the time, it opened the door for him to become the singer we know today.

(Photo by John Byrne Cooke)