AN American college tight end who was signed by an NFL franchise last year will reportedly join the Brumbies next month.

According to a report in the Arizona Republic, Chris Coyle will travel to Canberra in the next few weeks “to live and train with the Brumbies, a highly successful rugby franchise located 90 miles south of Sydney”.

“I wouldn’t say the NFL is closed for good,” Coyle told the Republic. “But it seems like my best opportunity is in rugby. And I can’t wait to get to Australia and see how it goes.”

Its official, my summer adventure in Australia begins on May 8th! Lookin forward to playing lots of rugby & exploring the outback #Brumbies — chris coyle (@BIGCsundevil87) February 27, 2015

Coyle was rated among the top 20 tight end prospects in America after graduating from Oaks Christian High School in California.

He attended Arizona State University where he distinguished himself over four seasons and 40 games for the Sun Devils.

Coyle’s 92 catches placed him third on the ASU’s all-time receptions list for tight ends. He tied for fourth on the all-time Sun Devils’ list for touchdowns (nine) and fifth for receiving yards (1,192) by a tight end.

He was a two-time All-Pac-12, including first team in 2013, and was named the nation’s Tight End of the Week at the College Football Performance Awards in 2012.

Coyle was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent last July. He sustained a shoulder injury shortly after and was cut by the NFL franchise before their first pre-season game against the Arizona Cardinals.

“I was really looking forward to coming back to (Arizona) and playing before the fans who saw me in college,” Coyle said. “But it didn’t happen for me.

“When I got hurt, it kept me out about five days. But the NFL moves so fast, and that’s enough time to fall far behind. And I fell to the bottom of the totem pole. But I don’t have any hard feelings against that organisation. I had an opportunity and I felt like I did a good job with it. I have no regrets. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Upon learning of Coyle’s situation, ASU rugby coach Gary Lane offered him a unique opportunity. Learn rugby and take advantage of the relationship formed between ASU and the Brumbies.

“He told me there was a team in Australia that was interested in training me to become a (professional) rugby player,” Coyle said. “He explained the opportunities, that I could have a good future in rugby overseas. He said a lot of ex-football players could be doing it, but they don’t take the risk and give it a shot. There are so many places you can end up, with a lot of great financial opportunities because the sport is so popular in other areas of the world.

“There’s such a connection between the two sports. And at first, I just used my athleticism. I used the things I knew from football, my route running skills and my ball-carrying skills. But now, there’s so many times when I’ll use a technique from football for leverage in rugby, or something like that.

“The difference is, there’s not a defined play like in football. It flows like soccer. It’s a ton of fun, such an active game, and anybody can get the ball at any moment. And when I’m on defense, it takes me back to my high school days and I get to tackle again.”