New Washington Commanders signing T.J. Maguranyanga was a highly-respected rugby winger, who even played for France’s ASM Clermont Auvergne, but watching clips of Baltimore Ravens legend Ray Lewis ignited his NFL dream.
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Maguranyanga moved to South Africa aged 12. After a brief stint in Durban, he went to high school in St. Stithians in Johannesburg, South Africa, and took part in basketball and track.
However, rugby union was where he excelled initially and he rose up the ranks all the way to Clermont – a prestigious club which he played for from 2021-2024. While still playing rugby, the legendary Lewis was his gateway towards NFL obsession.
Maguranyanga, who has converted to Edge Rusher, told ESPN of the origins of his interest in American football: “It started when I was a bit younger, just watching Ray Lewis and the Ravens.
“I found them pretty inspirational – just the physical side of the game – so I’d watch hyper videos of Ray Lewis before I played rugby games. That’s where it all started.”
While many NFL IPP and NFL Academy talents did not know the sport before they started playing it, Maguranyanga always held onto what seemed a distant dream of playing in the league.
He said: “Last year, when the documentary came out for the IPP, I’d been watching it a lot and hoping that this was what I was going to be able to do. From the time I was quite young, I was a bit delusional – thinking that I was going to be a two-sport athlete.
“I was going to play professional rugby and then switch to play American football. That had always been my dream.
“I drew up an email, but I decided not to send it. I just prayed about it. I was like: ‘If this is part of God’s plan for me, then somewhere in the future, the NFL will contact me.'”
His prayers were seemingly answered soon afterwards. He was approached to set up IPP trials the day after his season with Clermont ended last season. Some of the skills he learned in rugby, he took into his training for the Edge rusher positions.
Maguranyanga, who played on the wing, much like a running back combined with a wide receiver, explained: “Being able to track defenders and get off the line of scrimmage very quickly – those are things that translate very well between the two sports – just as well as the size and athleticism.
“We’ve got guys who are coming from playing against big guys in rugby and it will just be the same as American football.”
However, there are some adaptations he has had to make: “There’s a lot more cutting and change of direction in football and I’ll be running at a much lower height.
“In rugby, we can pretty much run upright and get into contact, but in football, you want to keep everything pretty low and compact.”
The defensive end anticipates that many more rugby players will make the switch to American football: “It’s an attractive move to make.
“I believe that rugby – particularly rugby players; our characteristics would work well in the NFL and we’ve definitely seen it with guys like Jordan [Mailata, who played rugby league before joining the Philadelphia Eagles via the IPP Program].
“I think NFL scouts will be looking a lot more at rugby players to convert them into American football players.”
Generally speaking, the NFL is significantly more financially lucrative than both rugby league and rugby union. Zimbabwean linebacker Nate Landman – who recently signed for the Los Angeles Rams – is reported by Over The Cap to have a base salary of $1.1 million for 2025. In rugby, this would make him one of the best-paid rugby players in the world.
The same website claims that Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and former Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit – who did not play in his first NFL season after coming through the IPP Program – is reported by the same website to have an annual salary of $840,000. This would be more than triple his reported salary at Gloucester.
The downside is that Maguranyanga will have to compete fiercely for minutes in a sport he has little experience in. However, being from a family that is effectively sporting royalty in Zimbabwe, he is receiving nothing but encouragement back home.
“From the get-go, I think they really understood it,” he said. “As soon as the word NFL came up, their eyes lit up. They definitely grasp the gravity and magnitude of what I’m going for right now.”
Maguranyanga will likely be given a chance to prove himself in preseason in August before the new season gets underway on September 4.
It is unlikely that he will play any significant role for the Commanders early on, but given Mailata’s Super Bowl success with the Eagles in 2025, the NFL IPP’s rugby converts can now so – more than ever – dare to dream.