It’s been seven years since Glen Coffee has put on shoulder pads and a helmet.
At the time, he was playing in the NFL and was in his second season. Following an internal debate, he told a reporter, “God has bigger plans for me.” Per ESPN, Coffee served with the sixth Ranger Training Battalion as a U.S. Army paratrooper for four years since he joined in 2013.
Before heading off to the Army, the Alabama product was just getting started in his NFL career. Coffee had been drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 74th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was coming off a season at Alabama in which he had rushed for 1,383 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns — averaging an impressive 5.9 yards per carry in the process.
It was starting to look like that Coffee might have a chance to be long-time 49ers RB Frank Gore’s successor, but that wasn’t where Coffee’s heart was at back then. During his lone season in San Francisco, he had managed to rush for only 226 yards on 83 carries — a 2.7 yard per carry average — with only one rushing touchdown. He did manage to contribute in the passing game as he also recorded 11 receptions for 76 yards.
Per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Coffee has been reinstated by the NFL after being on the retired list, and hopes to play in the NFL again. It’ll be interesting to see if any teams show the now 29 year old running back any interest. NBC Sports Bay Area has reported that Coffee is in great shape — he has been seen working out in Tuscaloosa.
The next step for him will be exploring which NFL teams have an interest in bringing him to their facility. This will give him a chance to showcase where he is at physically and mentally following a long hiatus from the game. There’s a lot of people out there hoping Coffee still has some gas left in the tank.
