9 May 2023
KANSAS CITY, MO. (KSNT) – Wyatt Hubert’s Wildcat spirit is leading him to an NFL comeback.
“Wearing an arrowhead on my chest is definitely special,” Hubert said. “It’s like wearing a Wildcat on my chest, too. It’s crazy. Definitely thankful to be here.”
Hubert started his career at Shawnee Heights High School. Then, he developed his game at K-State.
“He’s always had a passion for the game,” Jason Swift, Shawnee Heights head football coach, said. “Loved being at practice. Loved the grind. Loved everything about the game of football, so to have him back, it’s no surprise at all.”
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Hubert in 2021. He retired just before the 2022 season began.
“It was very difficult,” Hubert’s mom, Debi Hubert-Smith, said. “He just had a lot of injuries. A lot of surgeries one right after the other. I think it was just really hard because I think his body needed time to heal from playing so hard at K-State.”
The time away from football was good for Hubert’s body. However, working in medical sales didn’t bring the same excitement as sacking a quarterback.
“I was working a regular job, living a regular life,” he said. “I worked probably 5-6 months, but the last two months, I started to think back. It was really hard to watch a football game knowing my close friends who are on teams are playing and me just watching a game, kind of knowing that I could do that too.”
So, Hubert took a leap. He called his agent and said he wanted to play football again.
“Give it another shot,” Hubert-Smith said. “He’s always been such a really hard worker. Very dedicated to working out.”
Hubert’s agent went to the NFL combine and talked to teams about his return, but they still weren’t sure that would work.
“We had our fingers crossed, hoping that a few teams would give me the opportunity,” Hubert said. “Three teams did, with the Chiefs being one.”
Now, he’s at Chiefs rookie minicamp. He’s ready to get back to playing the game he loves, stronger and healthier.
“Even though I wasn’t playing football, I always treated myself like an athlete,” Hubert said. “In the weight room, with my diet, everything I did. I still took all of that very seriously every single day.”
Hubert has two other rookie minicamp invitations. He isn’t allowed to disclose which teams, but it will be with one NFC and one other AFC team.