Su’a Cravens

Su’a Kristopher Cravens was born on July 7, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. His football journey began with a notable high school career, first at Temecula Valley High School and then at Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, California. During his time at Vista Murrieta, from 2010 to 2012, Cravens distinguished himself as a versatile player, excelling as a linebacker and defensive back, and also contributing on offense as a running back and wide receiver. His exceptional performance earned him numerous accolades, including Max Preps Sophomore All-American second team, Max Preps Junior All-American first team, and USA Today All-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. He was recognized as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and played in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Cravens continued his collegiate career at the University of Southern California (USC), playing for the USC Trojans from 2013 to 2015. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting all 13 games at strong safety, and was named to several Freshman All-American teams. During his sophomore and junior years, he transitioned to a hybrid strong safety/strongside outside linebacker role, demonstrating his adaptability and skill. He received first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors in both 2014 and 2015, playing defensive back and linebacker respectively. In 2015, as a team captain, he was a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards. He concluded his college career with 206 tackles, 10 sacks, and 9 interceptions before opting to enter the NFL Draft.

In 2016, Cravens was selected by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the NFL Draft. He primarily played inside linebacker during his rookie season and recorded a game-sealing interception against the New York Giants. After a brief period of contemplating retirement due to post-concussion syndrome and being placed on the reserve/left squad list in 2017, he was reinstated by the league and traded to the Denver Broncos in 2018. While with the Broncos, he was placed on injured reserve early in the 2018 season due to a knee injury but later activated. He was released in 2019 and has since transitioned into a career as a sports broadcaster and analyst, notably as a host and sideline reporter for USC’s Live Trojan Tailgate Show and as an ESPN LA BTN Social Analyst.