Foxborough, Mass.- A dream since he began football as a young boy is now become reality for LaBryan Ray as the former James Clemens High and University of Alabama star player signed a rookie free agent contract with the NFL’s New England Patriots.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive lineman was passed during the recent NFL Draft and began looking for an opportunity to sign independently from the draft. In all, the Patriots signed eight players to free agent contracts.

Ray was limited in playing time while at Alabama due to several injuries in his five seasons in college where he took fewer than 1,000 snaps. The 24-year old played in all 13 games for the Crimson Tide in the 2022 season where the Tide finished runner-up to Georgia for the National Championship. He finished with just 11 tackles. His injuries at Alabama included a foot, lower leg and elbow. His best season came as a sophomore when he recorded 39 tackles.

Ray also had a shoulder injury which required surgery while at James Clemens, but none of his injuries equal his despair at age six when his mother, Angela, died of a blood clot. His father, Gary Ray Sr., raised three children all of whom played college football.

Ray is among an “Alabama family,” as he’s now among six Alabama alumni on the Patriots roster. He is not guaranteed a spot in the 2022 season roster and will go through an extensive workout regimen to attempt to gain a spot on a roster to help fulfill that dream of playing in the NFL.