PPI Recruits

College Football 2026 is here. 🏈

Across the country, PPI athletes are entering another season representing their universities and continuing their development at the next level.

From international prospects who came through the PPI recruiting pathway to established college players now competing in major programs, this group represents years of scouting, recruiting, placement, development and opportunity.

We are proud to see so many PPI athletes preparing to take the field this fall and represent their programs throughout the 2026 season.

Good luck to all of our PPI Recruits competing in college football this year.

📲 Stay tapped in
Follow us for more Content like this ⭐️




scholarship sec acc mountainwest mac sunbelt pac12 bigten big12

🇩🇪 OL Lorenz Metz (Lorenz Metz) has re-signed with the New England Patriots practice squad.

Lorenz remains in New England following NFL roster cutdowns and will continue his professional career inside the Patriots organization.

PPI first connected with Lorenz while he was playing in Germany with the Kirchdorf Wildcats. After entering the PPI pathway and competing in front of U.S. programs, he earned his first Division I opportunity and eventually developed into an All-Conference offensive lineman at Cincinnati, where he was part of the Bearcats’ historic College Football Playoff team.

His NFL journey has since included opportunities with the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots.

Now, Lorenz has secured another NFL opportunity with New England for the 2026 season.

📲 Stay tapped in
Follow us for more Content like this ⭐️




patriots newenglandpatriots germany football nflfootball

🇺🇸🇩🇪 RB Zavier Scott () has signed with the Chicago Bears practice squad.

A new NFL opportunity for the PPI Alumni after spending the previous stage of his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Zavier’s connection with PPI goes back to his time playing high school football in Germany. With no college scholarship offers at the time, he joined Brandon Collier and PPI on the DreamChasers Tour, where he gained exposure to U.S. programs and ultimately earned his opportunity to play Division I football at UConn before finishing his college career at Maine.

He later reached the NFL with Minnesota, becoming the first PPI Alumni to appear in an NFL regular-season game and score an NFL touchdown.

Following the 2026 preseason, his NFL career continues in Chicago with the Bears practice squad.

📲 Stay tapped in
Follow us for more Content like this ⭐️




chicagobears bears football dreamchasers nflfootball

Congratulations to PPI Alumni Julius Welschof on officially signing back to the Pittsburgh Steelers Practice Squad! 🏈🇩🇪

Another step forward in Julius’ NFL journey. From Germany 🇩🇪 to competing at the highest level of American football — the work continues.

Keep grinding. Keep developing. Keep proving you belong.

The journey isn’t finished. 💪🏾🔥

PPIRecruits PPIAlumni InternationalFootball GermanyToTheNFL NFLJourney

Huge congratulations to PPI Alumni Seydou Traore on officially making the Miami Dolphins 53-man roster! 🏈🔥

Another major milestone in an incredible journey. Seydou continues to show what hard work, belief, and perseverance can accomplish.

From his journey to the United States to earning his place in the NFL, this is a moment to be proud of — and there’s still more to come.

Congratulations, Seydou! Time to keep working! 💪🏾🇺🇸🌍

PPI FAMILY! 🏈

PPIRecruits PPIFamily InternationalFootball PathwayToTheNFL AmericanFootball DreamChasing

🌍 PPI ALUMNI — ZAVIER SCOTT 🏈

Wishing PPI Alumni Zavier Scott the best of luck today as he looks to earn his spot on the 53-man roster! 🙏🏾🔥

Another PPI Alumni competing at the highest level and chasing the opportunity to officially secure his place in the NFL.

Years of work, sacrifice and preparation come down to moments like this.

Go finish the job, Zavier! 💪🏾🔥

Proud to see the PPI family continuing to make its mark at the highest level! 🌍➡️🏈

PPIFamily PathwayToTheNFL GlobalFootball 53ManRoster

🌍 PPI ALUMNI — SEYDOU TRAORE 🏈

Wishing PPI Alumni Seydou Traore the best of luck today as he looks to earn his spot on the 53-man roster! 🙏🏾🔥

From his journey as an international prospect to competing at the highest level, Seydou continues to represent what the PPI pathway is all about.

International talent. Opportunity. Development. The NFL. 🌍➡️🇺🇸🏈

Go finish the job, Seydou! 💪🏾

InternationalTalent PathwayToTheNFL GlobalFootball PPIFamily

🇩🇪➡️🏈 FROM GERMANY TO THE NFL!

PPI Alumni Julius Welschof is out there MAKING PLAYS this preseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers! 🔥💪🏾

Another example of what’s possible for international athletes who believe in the journey and put in the work.

🌍 PPI ➡️ COLLEGE FOOTBALL ➡️ NFL

The pathway is REAL. 🎯

Keep making Germany and PPI proud, Julius! 🇩🇪🔥

GermanyFootball InternationalFootball PathwayToTheNFL

🇩🇪 RB Duncan Brune (Duncan Brune) has been named a team captain for the Ohio Bobcats for the 2026 season.

The junior from Cologne enters his third year at Ohio after a breakout 2025 season in which he played all 13 games, rushed for 585 yards and eight touchdowns, recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game against Northern Illinois, and earned Academic All-MAC recognition. He enters 2026 with additional preseason recognition from both Phil Steele (Second Team All-MAC) and Athlon Sports (Third Team All-MAC).

Duncan’s path to this point started in Germany with the Cologne Crocodiles. Before college, he helped lead Cologne to a German U19 national championship while averaging more than 12 yards per carry and 200 rushing yards per game. His athletic background also included track — with a reported 10.85 100-meter time — and offseason training with the German national bobsled program.

His connection with PPI goes back to his recruiting years in Europe. In 2022, Duncan was part of the international prospect group traveling with Brandon Collier and PPI Recruits on U.S. college visits, including the group brought to Texas A&M alongside prospects from Germany, Sweden, Australia and other international markets.

His recruitment eventually produced Division I opportunities from programs including Ohio, Toledo, Middle Tennessee and Yale, before he signed with the Bobcats.

Now, after developing from an international prospect into a productive Division I running back, Duncan has been selected by Ohio’s coaching staff as one of four captains for the 2026 season.

A significant recognition for Duncan and another strong example of an international PPI recruit developing into a leadership role in U.S. college football.

📲 Stay tapped in
Follow us for more Content like this ⭐️




scholarship sec acc mountainwest mac sunbelt pac12 bigten big12

🇩🇪 DL Yilanan Ouattara (Yilanan Issa Ouattara) enters 2026 as one of the veteran leaders of the Vanderbilt defense.

The 6’7”, 315-lb graduate defensive lineman from Cologne, Germany has developed from a player who only began American football in 2019 into an established SEC defensive lineman and Vanderbilt team captain.

Yilanan came through the Cologne Crocodiles, helping the program win a German U19 championship. In the summer of 2021, he joined Brandon Collier and PPI Recruits on the DreamChasers Tour, competing at U.S. college camps despite having never played football in America. His size, movement and upside quickly attracted attention, and he eventually became a three-star prospect, the No. 1-rated player in Germany, and earned SEC opportunities from Vanderbilt and Ole Miss before choosing the Commodores.

His development at Vanderbilt has been substantial.

In 2024, Yilanan started 10 of 13 games, recorded 31 tackles, produced a career-high five tackles and 1.5 sacks at LSU, added another 1.5 sacks in Vanderbilt’s Birmingham Bowl victory over Georgia Tech, and recovered a fumble in the historic win over No. 1 Alabama.

He was then selected by his teammates as a Vanderbilt team captain in 2025. An injury limited him to one appearance that season, but he returned to the field this spring and remains a major part of the Commodores’ plans for 2026. Vanderbilt selected him to represent the program at SEC Media Days, and he enters the season with Phil Steele preseason All-SEC recognition.

Yilanan has now appeared in 34 games for Vanderbilt, recording 48 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He was also recently named to the 2027 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300, placing him on the radar as an NFL Draft prospect entering his final college season.

From the Cologne Crocodiles and the PPI DreamChasers Tour to becoming a captain and established defensive lineman in the SEC, Yilanan’s progression is another significant result of the international recruiting pathway.

📲 Stay tapped in
Follow us for more Content like this ⭐️




scholarship sec acc mountainwest mac sunbelt pac12 bigten big12