Deion Sanders and Colorado football have continued to capture headlines since Coach Prime set up camp in Boulder. Much of this attention is due to Sanders' magnetizing character, which never goes unnoticed by his team or opponents. With that magnetism comes the ability to attract potential prospects to join his Buffaloes football team, such as the son of former WWE wrestling star Bill Goldberg.
Gage Goldberg commits to Colorado football
Originally committed to Alabama as a preferred walk-on, Gage Goldberg flipped his commitment to Sanders and Colorado football shortly after Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. Gage will likewise be a walk-on for the Buffaloes in 2024.
Goldberg was a first-team all-district 12-5A linebacker in the state of Texas in 2023, according to ESPN. His father, the elder Goldberg, was one of the biggest stars in wrestling during the late 1990s and early 2000s before making a comeback in the late 2010s. He's a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion (WCW and WWE) and two-time WWE Universal Champion, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Goldberg himself was a former collegiate football player at the University of Georgia, that led to a brief six-year NFL career, most notably playing for the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive tackle alongside Sanders. However, multiple injuries caused him to be eventually cut, leading him to professional wrestling, initially starting with former well-known promotion, WCW.
McMahon brothers commit to Indiana, North Carolina
Gage, the Colorado football commit, isn't the only son of a professional wrestler joining the college football ranks in 2024, however. He is joined by 2024 North Carolina football commit Kenyon McMahon and his brother, 2022 Indiana football commit Declan McMahon, both sons of Shane McMahon.
Kenyon and Declan have also signed on to their respective teams as preferred walk-ons. Kenyon will be playing defensive back for the Tar Heels, while Declan plays running back for the Hoosiers, though he didn't accrue stats in 2023 due to being redshirted.
Their father, Shane, was always considered quite the athlete, as was seen in his wrestling abilities, holding multiple championships in WWE. But his pedigree is most notably that of being the son of famous (or maybe now infamous) wrestling promoter and eventual owner of the WWE, Vince McMahon, the grandfather of Declan and Kenyon. Shane fulfilled multiple roles in WWE, from behind the scenes to even in the ring as a performer.
The connection between college, pro athletics and WWE
The connection between college and pro athletics and WWE is intriguing. Gage Goldberg and the McMahon brothers aren't the firsts to blend these two worlds. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also played college football for the University of Miami, helping the Hurricanes win the 1991 national championship. There's also John Laurinaitis, son of Road Warrior Animal, who played for Ohio State and was drafted in 2009 to the St. Louis Rams, and Steven Borden Jr., son of Sting, who played tight end for the University of Kentucky.
But who could forget Bronson Rechsteiner, son of Rick Steiner, who was a running back at Kennesaw State and signed as a fullback for the Baltimore Ravens? He's now with the WWE as a full-time wrestler, bouncing back and forth from the NXT brand to the main roster, known as Bron Breakker.
It makes you wonder if others, like the McMahon's and Goldberg, will follow suit if their football careers don't take off. Though they would have their work cut out for them living up to the expectations their names carry, it wouldn't be hard for them to get a fast-track into the business.
Wrestling fans usually welcome generational talents. Just look at Cody Rhodes, who, after years of overcoming the legacy of his father's name, reputation, and resume, finds himself as one of the main stars of the entire wrestling industry, headlining his second consecutive WrestleMania this year.
There's also Charlotte Flair, who has, in some respects, revolutionized the women's side of the wrestling industry the way her father, Ric Flair, did during his heyday.
For now, we all have to wait and see how the sons of these former WWE wrestlers perform in their collegiate careers before potentially venturing into the world of their fathers. Gage Goldberg will likely have plenty of eyes on him should he find his way onto the field for Sanders and the Colorado football team during his career. The McMahon brothers will be much the same. But in the famous words of Gage's father: Who's next? Which other prestigious college football programs, like North Carolina, Indiana, and Colorado football, will be looking at the wrestling ring to fill their football rosters? Better yet, who will be using athletics like college football as a springboard into the ring?
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