Indiana University Athletics
Answering the Call: Rahrig Relishes NFL Opportunity
8/20/2015 10:58:00 AM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two phone calls changed Collin Rahrig's life.
The first brought him to Indiana as an undersized walk-on. The second earned him a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The latter phone call came in June. Rahrig, who lives in Indianapolis, was preparing dinner at home with his fiancé when his phone rang. The Steelers were on the line.
One of Pittsburgh's offensive linemen got hurt during an Organized Team Activity (OTA) and the Steelers needed a replacement immediately. They wanted Rahrig.
The former Hoosier apologized to his fiancé for ditching dinner plans, packed his things and headed for the Indianapolis airport. He was on the plane within three hours after hanging up the phone.
"For me, it was like, what the hell do I even pack? I'm going to be there for how many days? What plane can I get on?" Rahrig said. "Everything was just a rush. You sort of just drop everything and go because you don't get that type of call every day."
A pair of flight cancellations made Rahrig's trip a little more stressful than he would have liked. He didn't reach his Pittsburgh hotel until 3 a.m. and had a 6 a.m. wakeup call to get his mandatory team physical.
But none of that mattered. The undrafted free agent who nearly called it quits after high school earned a spot on an NFL roster.
"It was a lot of moving parts to get there, but hey, you're living your dream," Rahrig said. "They give you a call and you drop everything and go and hope you earn someone's attention."
Six years ago, Rahrig didn't imagine his football career would even make it to the collegiate level.
The high school rugby standout had a handful of Division II football offers, but he had the physical build more like a receiver, not a Division I lineman.
Rahrig didn't want to sacrifice the quality of his education for football, so he opted to follow in his older brothers' footsteps and attend IU only as a student.
He quit the game for good, planning to play club rugby instead.
Then his phone rang.
Five days before the 2010 fall camp began, Rahrig was contacted by one of the Indiana assistant coaches. One of IU's linemen was hurt, and the Hoosiers were in need of a replacement.
Rahrig was asked to join the Hoosiers as a preferred walk-on. Nothing was guaranteed.
"Sure, why not?" Rahrig said. He got the phone call on a Friday and camp started the next Wednesday.
Fast forward five years and 40 appearances and Rahrig graduated as one of Indiana's most reliable linemen in program history.
In 2011, he was named Indiana Outstanding Walk-On Player of the Year.
By 2014, he was a team captain.
"It's remarkable when you consider I didn't have a clue what I was even doing," Rahrig said. "Then you decide, 'Okay, I'll go play football," and you start doing it and wind up taking it all the way to the next level."
Camp life has brought back memories of freshman year for Rahrig.
The Steelers train at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. This year marked the team's 50th year of camp at the small Benedictine school.
Rahrig and his Steelers teammates—some multimillionaires—live in dorms. Rahrig sleeps on a double bed and lives with a roommate in a dorm named after Arthur "Art" Rooney, the founding owner of the Steelers.
"It kind of takes you back to that first year of college, only instead of being freshmen, it's guys who are making millions of dollars in some cases," Rahrig said. "You definitely build comradery with other teammates."
Football at the Steelers camp isn't too different than football in Bloomington, Rahrig said.
The most noticeable difference is in the number of repetitions. Rahrig said with the Steelers, he's less focused on hitting and more focused on sharpening up the fine details of his game.
"At this point, all these guys already know how to hit," Rahrig said. "It's more about fine tuning. You almost have to look at everything through a microscope."
Every morning typically starts with a film session and team meetings before practice begins around 3 p.m. in the peak of the day's heat.
The practices can be demanding, Rahrig said, but enjoyable. He said the increased level of competition and the professional coaching staff have helped him grow as a player.
"The Steelers are just a world class organization," Rahrig said. "From the minute you get here, you understand that. There's just so much focus on football, you're kind of separated from the outside world."
One of Rahrig's biggest advantages has been his versatility, which Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson said would be the case last spring.
NFL teams are limited in the number of players they can carry, which makes a lineman who can fill different spots more valuable than one who's only strong at one position.
Rahrig has moved around between the center and guard spots in practice after predominantly playing center at Indiana his senior year.
Wherever the Steelers want him, Rahrig is willing to go.
"The more versatile you can be, the better your chances of making it," Rahrig said. "I think my experience playing more than one spot has helped. It's definitely gotten me more chances."
Rahrig got his first NFL game action in a 14-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the Hall of Fame game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Rahrig's playing time was limited, but he did manage to get on the field during a two-minute drill. And although it was an NFL game, Rahrig said the atmosphere of the stadium was more like a high school, so he didn't quite feel like a true NFL player yet.
That changed in week two when the Steelers lost on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-21. Playing at EverBank Field was Rahrig's first true taste of what an NFL stadium is like.
"The stadiums are so elaborate and awesome anywhere you go in the NFL," Rahrig said. "It's so different even from college. In college, you have bigger stadiums filled with mostly students. Here, it's just a bunch of people who love football."
Rahrig gets his first chance to play in front of the home crowd at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
"I can't wait for that," Rahrig said. "There's nothing like playing in front of your home crowd."
It's a site Rahrig hopes he'll get used to.
Two injuries. Two phone calls. Two chances to play.
Rahrig has taken advantage of unplanned opportunities throughout his football career.
One brought him to Indiana. He earned a scholarship.
The other brought him to Pittsburgh. Now he's working to earn a contract.
"It is funny how that happened," Rahrig said. "It's just a matter of when one guy goes down, someone has to step up. I was able to be there."
Teams have until Sept. 1 to reduce their rosters to a maximum of 75 players. Four days later, they need to cut the roster down to 53.
Rahrig tries not to think too much about the roster cuts, but he doesn't ignore them. It's part of the game.
"It's on everybody's mind," Rahrig said. "You can sit there and think about it, but if you're thinking about it, you're more or less just wasting your time."
Rahrig was brought into Pittsburgh to fight for a roster spot, and that's exactly what he plans to do.
He said he treats every day like it could be his last. He doesn't want to leave anything in the tank.
Rahrig knows his future is up in the air, but he isn't worried.
He's just waiting for the next phone call.
"Right now, I'm living my dream," Rahrig said. "If it comes to an end, it comes to an end. I can say I tried my best and did what I can, and I had a hell of an experience these last couple of years and got the most out of it that I could."
