Lineman Tare Porbeni ’27 Aims To Be Princeton’s Next NFL Player

Princeton football coach Bob Surace ’90 knew that Oyintare “Tare” Porbeni ’27 was an outstanding athlete before he went to see the offensive line recruit play high school basketball in Minnesota. But watching Porbeni on the court gave Surace a new appreciation for just how agile and powerful he is.

“He throws down two dunks, two consecutive plays,” Surace said. “And the second one — they had this crowd of students there, and the students ran on the court and started jumping up and down.” The referees cleared the court and called a technical foul on the cheering section.

While protecting the quarterback or opening a running lane might not get the same kind of frenzied reaction, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Porbeni is drawing considerable attention as a tackle for the Tigers. In the preseason, Sports Illustrated spotlighted him as one of seven NFL offensive line prospects to watch in FCS football, and Surace expects to see a parade of scouts visiting practice this fall.

Through the season’s first two weeks, Princeton’s offensive line has been one of its strengths. Led by Porbeni, All-Ivy second-team players Barrett Eddlemon ’27 and Justin Selbert ’27, and returning starter Andrew Pedersen ’28, the line allowed just two sacks in two games (second-best in the Ivy League) and looked dominant in a pair of third-quarter scoring drives that sealed the Tigers’ 22-0 win over Albany on Sept. 26 — the program’s first shutout since 2021.

Porbeni’s story has parallels to the path Indianapolis Colts tackle Jalen Travis ’24 followed from high school to Princeton and eventually to the NFL. Both are from Minnesota, both played basketball before transitioning to football, and both grew into starting roles in their junior years of college.

Offensive line, Porbeni said, is a “development position.” Most freshmen and many sophomores never see a snap of game time as they learn blocking schemes and gain physical strength. Compared to the player he was when he came to Princeton, Porbeni said, “I’m massively different. I can definitely credit that to coach [Brandon] Cuevas and coach Surace. They invested in me. I came in as an 18-year-old, really a 17-year-old, with less than two years of football experience. And they completely transformed me.”

Porbeni was one of four Tigers selected as captains this year, and Surace said that like Travis, he is driven, focused, and attentive to technique. “Jalen was so into the finer points of how to play the position,” he said. “And Tare, being further behind, it took him a little bit longer. The light’s come on, and it’s been fun to see.”

Travis, now in his first year as an NFL starter, played a season at Iowa State as a graduate transfer before being drafted in the fourth round by the Colts in 2025. Porbeni said he sees the NFL as an opportunity to prove to himself that he’s capable of playing at that level.

“Something my father always told me growing up was anything worth doing is worth doing well,” he said. “You know, I got to Division I, now what’s next? I’m always gonna push myself to be the best that I can be. And through talking with coaches and family and other folks in the field, I think [playing in the NFL] is very much a possibility. Now it’s just up to me to actualize it.”