Valentin Senn

Valentin Senn grew up in Volders, Austria, a village outside Innsbruck with around 4,500 inhabitants. His hometown is surrounded by the Alps, so winter sports are the pride. However, Senn played soccer most of his life and even played trumpet in the Swarovski Orchestra and sang in the Stimmpfeffer choir. It wasn't until a friend urged him to go out for the Swarco Raiders, a local under-19 club team, that Senn decided to give American football a shot. He instantly fell in love. "I started as a wide receiver," Senn said. "Size-wise, I was the same height [then as now], but I gained some weight and moved from receiver to tight end, and now I am playing on the offensive line. It's really crazy how everything worked out, because before I was playing soccer for 11 years. I'm glad I made that change." The change was the right move. After transferring from Colorado, Senn developed into one of the most dominating linemen in the country at UConn. During the 2023 season, he an offensive line that ranked among the best in college football in pass protection, ranking ninth in the country allowing just 12 sacks total on the season.