Former sprinter and NFL practice squad player Carlin Isles finds his niche with rugby
TOKYO — Carlin Isles has found his athletic calling.
Isles was a track and field and football athlete for a majority of his life. He was an All-American in the 60-meter dash at Ashland University, running a personal best time of 6.68 seconds. On the gridiron for the Eagles, Isles was a GLIAC selection.
The speedster even had a cup of coffee with the Detroit Lions. He had joined Detroit’s practice squad late in the 2013 season after running a 4.22 40-yard dash during his tryout. He signed a futures contract with the team after the season but left before the start of the offseason workouts.
Isles left football to focus exclusively on rugby, a sport he had taken up in 2012 — and the speedster hasn’t looked back since.
Isles’ unique blend of speed, quickness and elusiveness have made him one of the most notable rugby players in the world.
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He was the 2017-18 and 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series top scorer. The Ohio native was a Team USA member at the 2016 Rio Games and entered the Tokyo Olympics as Team USA’s all-time leading try-scorer (202).
"He’s a student of the game. He loves to learn, and he works his butt off. He’s a workhorse for real," U.S. rugby player Matai Leuta said. "His speed is an incredible asset. The statement speed kills really resonate with guys like him."
The 5-foot-8, 165-pound speedster is currently regarded as "the fastest man in rugby." He told USA TODAY Sports that he can currently run a 4.1 40-yard dash. His natural speed is what makes him an asset and star player on the U.S. rugby team.
"I’m able to use my gift, which is my speed. And I like the physicality part," Isles said of playing rugby. "You really get to test your manhood and I like that."
Isles says he has a stronger passion for rugby than his two original sports. Sure, his success in rugby undoubtedly influenced his feelings but he hopes Americans can latch on to rugby like he has.
Rugby has increased in popularity over the years. The sport had 10 million unique views on NBC and NBC Sports during the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 659,000 viewers for the Rugby World Cup Final, according to NBC Sports.
"It’s an attention getter, the physicality part," Isles said. "It’s short, 14 minutes. You get to see different teams go at different times. People’s attention span is short anyways. Rugby is tough. It’s a tenacious sport, but it is fast. There is a lot of action."
Isles is hoping a successful Olympic run by the U.S. rugby team will help attract more people to the sport.
"If the U.S. wins a medal, the sport will grow rapidly. It’ll get a lot of exposure because people don’t really know about rugby. People will be like, ‘America, they are one of the best in the world in rugby,’ " Isles said. "The better we do, the more people will watch."
When asked if rugby is better than football, Isles smiled and replied: "It’s better. It’s way better."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carlin Isles, former NFL practice squad player, excels at rugby
