BIOGRAPHY
Rakeem Nunez-Roches was born on July 3, 1993, in Dangriga, Belize. He is a defensive end in the National Football League.
Nuñez-Roches attended Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, and played baseball, basketball, and football. He earned All-state honors in basketball, was voted the best pitcher on the baseball team, and was a three-star defensive lineman by ESPN. He was selected to the Second-team All-Area by the Opelika-Auburn News and was an Alabama Top 50 player, ranked No. 39 by the Tuscaloosa Times.
Nuñez-Roches chose to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. In 2013, he was a full-time starter, before having to miss the remained of the year due to an injury. After being granted a medical redshirt, he returned as a redshirt junior in 2014 and recorded 63 tackles (35 solo), 15 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, and one forced fumble.
Nuñez-Roches was drafted in the sixth round (217th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the first Belizean born player ever to be drafted in the NFL. In the 2015 season, he appeared in seven games and recorded four solo tackles, and recorded his first career sack in 2016. In 2017, Nuñez-Roches played in all 16 games with 11 starts, recording 24 tackles, but was released the following season on May 8, 2018.
After being claimed off of waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, Nuñez-Roches eventually signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2023, Nuñez-Roches signed with the New York Giants.
