Laremy Alexander Tunsil (born August 2, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

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of the

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(NFL). He played

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for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

and was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the first round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. Tunsil was traded to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in 2019, earning five Pro Bowls honors before being traded to the Commanders in 2025.

Early life

Tunsil was born on August 2, 1994, in Harvey, Louisiana. He grew up in

Lake City, Florida Lake City is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329, up from 12,046 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistica ...

, attending

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

where he played

and competed in

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as a shot putter. He was a two-time All-State

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the Tigers football team. Tunsil credits his development as an

to going up against defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan, his Columbia teammate, in practice. "He's always trying to get better every day. He's strong and he's fundamentally sound. He's got all the tools you need to be one of the best," said his high school coach Brian Allen. In his senior year, Tunsil helped Columbia High School rush for 275 yards per game en route to the FHSAA Class 6A state quarterfinals, where they lost 28–21 to Navarre High School. After the season, Tunsil played in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Regarded as a five-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Tunsil was listed as the highest ranked offensive tackle prospect of his class. Tunsil had offers from every major BCS program, including every

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) school. From early on, he made depth chart, i.e. the possibility of starting as a true freshman, one of his priorities. He eliminated his home-state

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

early in the process, because the Gators had signed five-star offensive tackle D. J. Humphries from the previous class. For a long period of time, Tunsil was believed to be leaning towards

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, since the Bulldogs started true freshman John Theus at right tackle in every game of the 2012 season, and Tunsil hoped to do so at left tackle in 2013 as incumbent starter Kenarious Gates was graduating. But after a visit to

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

in late January, Tunsil reportedly changed his mind and was considered a "done deal" for the Rebels. Tunsil made his announcement on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

on ''

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'', where he indeed committed to Ole Miss.

College career

At Ole Miss in 2013, Tunsil played every game, starting all but four games— Vanderbilt, Southeast Missouri State,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, and Auburn. He was one of only two true freshmen serving as his team's full-time starting left tackle, the other being

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

's Jonathan McLaughlin. Tunsil had his first start against

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, competing against Longhorns defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, who finished the game with only three

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and no sacks. Following the Rebels' 34–24 victory over SEC West rival

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, Tunsil was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, after helping the offense piling up 531 total yards and a near-school record 428 passing yards. Tunsil earned SEC All-Freshman honors by the league's coaches, and first-team Freshman All-American honors by ''

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'', after allowing only one sack throughout his freshman season. As a sophomore, started at the left tackle position in all 11 games that he played in, only missing the Auburn and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

games due to a partially torn bicep. Tunsil was back in the starting line-up for the

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played annually in Atlanta, Georgia, since December 30, 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field on the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech c ...

, but fractured his

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

in the first half when quarterback Bo Wallace fell on the back of his right leg. After the season, Tunsil was named All-SEC by the

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. In June 2015, before his junior season, Tunsil was accused by his stepfather, Lindsey Miller, of having accepted improper benefits from

sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...

s. Coach Hugh Freeze decided to bench Tunsil for the season-opener against Tennessee–Martin on September 5, as a "precautionary measure". Tunsil was suspended by the NCAA and missed the first seven games of the season. He was reinstated before the #15 Texas A&M game on October 24. His matchup with defensive end Myles Garrett, who entered the game with

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

sacks, was highly anticipated. According to analysts Tunsil emerged as "the big winner", not giving up a sack and helping the Rebels to a 23–3 upset win over the Aggies. Having missed the first half of the season, Tunsil was not selected to any All-American team despite solid performance. During the Sugar Bowl game against

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, Tunsil had a two-yard rushing touchdown as time expired in the first half. Ole Miss won the Sugar Bowl, 48–20.

Professional career

Shortly after Ole Miss's bowl game, Tunsil announced his decision to forgo his final college year and enter the

. In February, a number of

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s projected him to be the No. 1 overall selection by the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein compared Tunsil to

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

offensive tackle Tyron Smith and predicted that he would be "the best left tackle in the league, or one of the top two, within three years". After an outstanding performance in offensive line drills at the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, Tunsil further established himself as the No. 1 draft prospect. On April 14, the Titans announced a trade of their first overall draft pick to the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, who were widely believed to be looking for a quarterback rather than an offensive lineman. The Rams went on to select quarterback

Jared Goff Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, setting Pac-12 Conference single- ...

out of

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with that first overall pick. Ten minutes before the draft was set to begin, Tunsil's

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account showed a video of him wearing a gas mask and smoking from a

bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right ...

. Although Tunsil's agent Jimmy Sexton immediately explained that the account was hacked, it resulted in some teams taking Tunsil off their draft boards entirely. The

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

(at No. 6) and

(at No. 8), both in need of an offensive tackle, passed over Tunsil and chose Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin, respectively. The

eventually selected him with the 13th overall pick. In a parallel incident, Tunsil's

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account published a screenshot of a text requesting money from Ole Miss assistant athletic director John Miller for rent and so Tunsil's mother could pay her electric bill. During a post-draft press conference, Tunsil admitted that he took money from an Ole Miss coach while a member of the school, but explained his Instagram account had also been hacked.

Miami Dolphins

On April 28, 2016, the Dolphins selected Tunsil with the 13th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Dolphins initially had the 8th overall selection until the Dolphins fell to the 13th overall pick following a trade with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He was the highest selected offensive lineman for the Dolphins since Jake Long went first overall in 2008, and the highest drafted Ole Miss player since linebacker Patrick Willis went 11th overall to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in 2007. On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Tunsil had signed a $12.45 million, four-year contract with the Dolphins. As a rookie in the 2016 season, Tunsil played in 14 games, 13 of those at the left guard position. He helped the Dolphins to finish with the ninth best rushing offense in the league. After the 2016 season, veteran left tackle Branden Albert was traded to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

, making room for Tunsil to move to the left tackle position for the 2017 season. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In the 2017 season, Tunsil appeared in and started 15 games. In the 2018 season, Tunsil appeared in and started 15 games once again. On April 18, 2019, the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option on Tunsil's contract.

Houston Texans

On August 31, 2019, Tunsil, Kenny Stills, and a fourth-round pick were traded to the

in exchange for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, Johnson Bademosi, and Julien Davenport. The trade was widely considered an unusually high boon for the Dolphins in creating trade capital for themselves, albeit at the loss of a significant performer, not least because they had picked up Tunsil originally in an artificially depressed draft position due to the 'bong incident'. He started 14 games at left tackle in 2019, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Tunsil lead the league with 17 penalties, including 14 false starts. He was ranked 66th by his fellow players on he NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. On April 24, 2020, Tunsil signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension with $57.85 million guaranteed with the Texans, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in terms of annual value. He played in and started 14 games in the 2020 season. He earned his second Pro Bowl nomination in 2020. He was ranked 75th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021. On October 16, 2021, Tunsil was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after undergoing thumb surgery. In the 2021 season, Tunsil appeared in and started five games. In the 2022 season, he started in all 17 games. He was named to his third Pro Bowl for the 2022 season. He was ranked 85th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023. On March 19, 2023, Tunsil signed a three year, $75 million contract extension with the Texans. He started in 14 games in the 2023 season. He missed three games early in the season due to a knee injury. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the fourth time in his career. He was ranked 71st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024. In the 2024 season, Tunsil started in all 17 regular season games and both of the Texans' postseason games. He led the league with 19 penalties, with 6 in a loss against the Minnesota Vikings. He earned a fifth Pro Bowl nomination.

Washington Commanders

On March 15, 2025, the Texans traded Tunsil and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft to the

in exchange for 2025 third-round and seventh-round picks along with 2026 second and fourth round picks.

Statistics

Personal life

Tunsil was arrested on June 25, 2015, on

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

charges in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

, after an altercation with his stepfather. Miller claimed the incident stemmed from an argument about Tunsil "riding around with agents," while others claimed Tunsil acted in defense of his mother. Later, Miller met with Chris Howard, the NCAA's director of enforcement, accusing Tunsil of NCAA rules violations, which triggered an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

investigation that resulted in Tunsil's suspension for the first seven games of the 2015 season at Ole Miss.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders profileOle Miss Rebels profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tunsil, Laremy 1994 births 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American Conference Pro Bowl players American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Houston Texans players Living people Miami Dolphins players Ole Miss Rebels football players People from Harvey, Louisiana Players of American football from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Players of American football from Lake City, Florida Washington Commanders players