Demetrius Rhaney, who played for the Ellswroth Community College Panthers during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks in the newly resurrected XFL. Rhaney was selected second in the fourth round, 26th overall.
After his time at Ellsworth, Rhaney transferred to Tennessee State and played center for the Tigers. From the Tigers Rhaney was a seventh-round draft pick to the NFL in 2014 by the St. Louis Rams. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins.
Demetrius's journey to Ellsworth and on to Tennessee, the NFL, and now the XFL has been an uphill battle. Rhaney missed out on a scholarship to play at a 4-year college because of a lost high school transcript. Undeterred and thanks to a connection at Ellsworth, Demetrius was still able to play collegiate football. He was even named All-Region as a Freshman, named to the Midwest Football All-Conference team as a Sophomore, and ranked as the number nine offensive guard in the country by 247Sports. His second chance as a Panther was just what this athlete needed to springboard his career.