The following chronology documents college football players who were publicly out as gay or bisexual while playing, based primarily on reporting by Outsports
(https://www.outsports.com/). The date listed is the date of the player’s public disclosure or the publication of the coming-out story when that date is documented.
2014
January 28, 2014 – Conner Mertens
Willamette University, NCAA Division III, Kicker
Mertens came out publicly as bisexual while playing kicker for Willamette. Outsports identifies him as the first publicly out active LGBTQ college football player. He had first told his teammates and then made his story public.
February 5, 2014 – Scott Cooper
Augsburg College, NCAA Division III, Linebacker
Cooper was openly gay to his Augsburg teammates during his college career. He played linebacker in 2012 and 2013 and publicly discussed his experience in 2014. He had also brought his male partner onto the field during Senior Day.
March 31, 2014 – Mitch Eby
Chapman University, NCAA Division III, Defensive End
Eby came out to his Chapman teammates and coaches in March 2014 and subsequently made his story public.
August 13, 2014 – Chip Sarafin
Arizona State University, NCAA Division I FBS, Offensive Lineman
Sarafin came out publicly while a senior walk-on at Arizona State. He had told his teammates the previous spring. He never appeared in a regular-season game but participated on the scout team.
2015
September 15, 2015 – Mason Darrow
Princeton University, NCAA Division I FCS, Offensive Lineman
Darrow had come out to teammates, friends, and family in 2013, but made his public announcement in September 2015 while still playing for Princeton.
2016
January 18, 2016 – Brandon Davis
Montana State University, NCAA Division I FCS, Running Back
Davis had played at Louisiana Tech but felt unable to come out there. He transferred to Montana State, where he played football and rugby, and subsequently publicly discussed his experience as a gay athlete.
2017
February 25, 2017 – My-King Johnson
University of Arizona, NCAA Division I FBS, Defensive End
Johnson was already publicly out as gay before entering college. Arizona recruited him knowing he was gay, making his case different from players who came out while already on a college team. He redshirted his first season at Arizona before leaving the team and later playing at the New Mexico Military Institute.
February 2017 – Darrion McAlister
Marian University, NAIA, Center/Offensive Lineman
McAlister publicly came out before his senior season at Marian. He contacted The Indianapolis Star specifically because he wanted to enter his final season openly gay. He later received first-team All-MSFA honors and was named an NAIA All-American.
May 22, 2017 – Wyatt Pertuset
Capital University, NCAA Division III, Wide Receiver/Punter
Pertuset had already come out during high school and was openly gay when he began playing at Capital. He publicly told his story in May 2017. In 2018, he became notable for scoring a touchdown as an openly gay college football player.
July 13, 2017 – Scott Frantz
Kansas State University, NCAA Division I FBS, Offensive Tackle
Frantz came out publicly in an ESPN interview while playing for Kansas State. He had already come out to his teammates and coaches. Later that season, he became the first publicly out gay player to play in a game for an FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) program, according to Outsports.
August 28, 2017 –
Xavier Colvin
Butler University, NCAA Division I FCS, Linebacker
Colvin came out publicly to his Butler teammates while standing on a stage with a microphone. He subsequently became one of the publicly out Division I football players.
2018
July 27, 2018 – Bradley Kim
U.S. Air Force Academy, NCAA Division I FBS, Defensive Back
Kim came out publicly through an Outsports story and an Instagram post while playing at Air Force. He had already told teammates and coaches privately, and one group of teammates responded with a standing ovation.
August 7, 2018 – Jacob Van Ittersum
Northwood University, NCAA Division II, Offensive Lineman
Van Ittersum came out as bisexual to his football team in May and then publicly shared his story in August 2018. He entered his senior season openly bisexual.
August 28, 2018 – Jake Bain
Indiana State University, NCAA Division I FCS, Running Back
Bain came out publicly as gay during his freshman season at Indiana State. He was openly gay with his teammates from the beginning of his college career.
2019
January 8, 2019 – Christian Zeitvogel
Kalamazoo College, NCAA Division III, Offensive Lineman
Zeitvogel publicly discussed coming out as a gay football player while playing offensive line at Kalamazoo. He had come out to teammates and coaches and found that much of his difficulty had been internal rather than a reaction from the team.
February 27, 2019 – Cy Hicks
College of Idaho, NAIA, Offensive Lineman
Hicks publicly discussed being gay while playing offensive line at the College of Idaho. He described the acceptance he received from teammates and coaches.
July 17, 2019 – Avery Saffold
Amherst College, NCAA Division III, Defensive Back
Saffold publicly discussed being gay while playing football at Amherst. He subsequently had what he described as his best season, with strong support from his teammates.
October 16, 2019 – Jaden Vazquez
Fordham University, NCAA Division I FCS, Linebacker
Vazquez came out to teammates during the 2019 football season and publicly identified himself as bisexual in an Instagram video on October 16.
November 5, 2019 – Jack Storrs
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, NCAA Division III, Linebacker
Storrs came out publicly as bisexual during his senior season. His teammates responded by wearing Pride stickers on their helmets.
2021
December 3, 2021 – Ryan Deluca
Furman University, NCAA Division I FCS, Wide Receiver
Deluca publicly came out as gay on Instagram less than two weeks after his final game for Furman.
2022
October 19, 2022 – Byron Perkins
Hampton University, NCAA Division I FCS, Defensive Back
Perkins came out publicly as gay while playing at Hampton. Outsports identified him as the first football player at an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to come out publicly as gay.
2023 – Kennedy McDowell
Colorado State University, NCAA Division I FBS, Defensive End
McDowell was publicly out as gay while playing at Colorado State. Reporting in 2023 described him as an out gay Division I football player. He left the Colorado State football team after the 2024 season and retired from football in August 2025.
2026 – Treamelle “TJ” Taylor
University of Rochester,NCAA Division III, Defensive Back
Taylor completed his Rochester football career before discussing his experience publicly in 2026. He had come out to selected trusted people while in college and subsequently produced a documentary concerning inclusion, diversity, and allyship in sports: https://bit.ly/4h246FH
Other Trailblazers
Michael Sam
University of Missouri, NCAA Division I FBS, Defensive End
Sam came out to his Missouri teammates and coaches before his 2013 senior season and was openly gay within the team. However, he did not publicly announce that he was gay until February 2014, after his college football career had ended. He is now a coach for the Berlin Thunder in the American Football League Europe.
Brian Sims
Bloomsburg University, NCAA Division II, Defensive Lineman
Sims was openly gay to his Bloomsburg teammates while playing Division II football and serving as a team captain in 2000. He did not publicly tell his story until years later, but, as for Martin Jenkins, has gone on to other major leadership positions. From 2013–2022 he was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and continues to be an influential activist.
In the Bay Area and in addition to Martin Jenkins and Ryan O’Callaghan (profiled separately in this issue), Dwight Slater of Stanford publicly came out in 1999 while still an active college football player. Kwame Harris, also of Stanford, went on to enter the NFL and played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders before retiring from professional football.
Out NCAA Trailblazers
Published on September 24, 2026
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