The path to the NFL for players of Indian descent is a rarely traveled one, and Vanderbilt’s Joshua Singh just took his first step onto it. If selected, the 6-foot, 285-pound graduate transfer from Laie, Hawaii, would become just the third player of Indian descent to suit up in the NFL, joining Sanjay Beach and Brandon Chillar.

Singh’s decision comes after a season with the Commodores, where he provided veteran depth on a defensive line that helped Vanderbilt to one of its most successful campaigns in recent memory.​​ His declaration statement on social media was deeply personal.

“Thank you to all of my coaches and mentors at BYU, especially Coach Kalani, for believing in me from the start. Thank you as well to Coach A, Bishop Feula, and Unko Jack for taking care of me all these years. I am forever grateful for my time there and will always be a Coug!”

He then pivoted to his Vanderbilt experience, “Thank you to everyone at Vanderbilt for welcoming me in with open arms! Coach Lea, Coach Greg, Coach Haye, and especially Coach Black for giving me my first full-ride scholarship and the opportunity to start in the SEC. None of this is possible without you, coaches!”

Singh’s 2025 season with Vanderbilt saw him appear in 12 games as a rotational piece on a defensive line that Clark Lea rebuilt through the transfer portal. He finished with 27 tackles, including six tackles for loss and one sack. He provided veteran presence and interior pressure in key moments throughout the season.

Though his counting stats weren’t eye-popping, Singh’s role was never about putting up massive numbers. Lea brought him in from BYU specifically to add depth and experience to a unit that needed both. At just 6-foot, Singh plays bigger than his height suggests.

His path to the NFL Draft represents years of patient development. His journey began at Orem High School, where he recorded 100 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, and 26.5 sacks across 20 games. Joshua Singh also spent four years at BYU, earning second-team Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2023. 

Joshua Singh transferred to Vanderbilt in April 2025. He chose the Commodores over an offer from SMU. He immediately became part of a defensive line overhaul that saw Lea add multiple portal pieces. Now, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Beach and Chillar, carrying the pride of his heritage onto the professional stage. 

The Pioneers Who Paved Singh’s Path

Singh’s journey to the NFL wouldn’t exist without Sanjay Beach. He smashed through barriers on October 13, 1989, when he took the field for the New York Jets against the New Orleans Saints. Beach, born to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, spent four seasons bouncing between NFL rosters, mainly as a special teams contributor and reserve wide receiver. 

His best season came in 1992 with the Green Bay Packers, where he caught 17 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Beach never became a household name. He finished his career with just 26 receptions across multiple stints with different franchises. However, his significance extends far beyond statistics. He proved an Indian-American could not only make an NFL roster but stick around for parts of five seasons. 

Brandon Chillar kicked that door wide open nearly two decades later. The Los Angeles native, son of an Indian father and Irish-Italian mother, turned a productive UCLA career (455 tackles, 12 sacks) into a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2004. After four steady seasons with the Rams, Chillar signed a two-year, $5.2 million deal with Green Bay in 2008 and finally found his groove. 

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He was so effective that the Packers rewarded him with a four-year, $22.65 million extension, making him one of the highest-paid linebackers of Indian descent in professional sports history. Though shoulder injuries limited his playing time during Green Bay’s magical 2010 season, Chillar contributed 16 tackles and one sack before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy alongside Aaron Rodgers in Super Bowl XLV, becoming the first, and still only, Indian-American to win an NFL championship.