Mason Parris’s NFL Tryout: A Wrestling Star’s New Challenge
Mason Parris’ NFL experiment took the 2023 NCAA heavyweight champion away from the wrestling mat and into a professional football minicamp. Parris had not played organized football since high school, but his size and past experience as a linebacker made him an unusual candidate for a second sport. The Los Angeles Chargers gave the former Michigan standout a look at fullback during their June 2025 minicamp, a chance described by Sports Illustrated’s Chargers coverage.
The opportunity followed a long wrestling résumé. Parris won the 2023 NCAA heavyweight title for Michigan, earned the Dan Hodge Trophy as college wrestling’s most dominant wrestler, and later represented the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The University of Michigan profile documents his championship and football background; Team USA’s profile lists his Olympic participation and international results.
The football path required translating those credentials into a new position. Parris had played linebacker in high school, but at Chargers minicamp he lined up at fullback. That role asks a player to block, protect the ball carrier, and contribute on special teams, rather than wrestle an opponent in a controlled one-on-one contest. His strength, balance, leverage, and comfort with contact offered a foundation; learning playbook language, assignments, and timing against experienced football players was a different test.
The appearance was a minicamp opportunity, not proof that Parris had signed an NFL contract or made a regular-season roster. A minicamp invitation lets a team evaluate a player in drills and meetings, while the club retains control over whether to continue the relationship. Parris acknowledged the challenge in a social post quoted by SI, calling it his first time on a football field since high school and describing the experience as a needed reset.
By August 2025, Parris had chosen to return to wrestling and pursue the next Olympic cycle. In his announcement, he said the football journey gave him a change of pace and renewed his motivation to compete. Eagle Country Online reported that he was back training with Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Michigan after his stint with the Chargers.
The return proved competitive rather than ceremonial. Parris won the men’s freestyle 125-kilogram title at the 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, according to USA Wrestling, and later earned a place in the 2026 Final X series. The football attempt was one chapter in a broader career, and the verified record now shows him back in contention on the mat.
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Tags: Wrestling, Combat Sports
