Following a heartfelt audition, a North Carolina native and ex-NFL player is Hollywood-bound. Blake Proehl, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, serenaded judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie with Brett Young’s “In case you didn’t know.”
Proehl garnered applause from all three judges and received commendations post-audition.
“If you will allow us to be your coaches, you’re gonna be top 10,” expressed Perry.
“I wrote one thing down that stood out. Natural,” added Richie.
According to ABC affiliate WSOC, Proehl, a former wide receiver for East Carolina University, transitioned to the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.
After sustaining an injury, he parted ways with the team.
“I went through a really tough injury…I tore a bunch of stuff,” Proehl revealed in an interview with Ryan Seacrest.
“They said hey it’ll be a success story if you’re able to run again in general.”
Proehl turned to music during his recovery, citing his grandmother as his motivation for auditioning.
“My grandma is the reason why I’m here,” he stated. “She’s the reason why I have any confidence at all to be in this room.”
Blake is the son of former NFL player Ricky Proehl, who enjoyed a 17-year career in the league. Three of Ricky Proehl’s seasons were with the Carolina Panthers. Before his NFL career, Ricky Proehl played at Wake Forest University and was drafted by the Phoenix Cardinals.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Ricky Proehl served as the wide receivers coach for the Panthers for six years.
Notably, he secured Super Bowl titles while playing for two different teams, the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts.