When your alma mater is mistaken for a popular 90’s TV show, you face an uphill battle to attract attention from pro scouts.
This was the dilemma of Jeremiah Pharms Jr., the only Friends University alumnus ever to make it to the NFL.
It’s a faith-based private school located in Wichita, Kansas with an undergrad enrollment of 1,700 students, not quite like the NFL factory of schools in the Big Ten or SEC.
Friends University was one of the many steps Jeremiah took on his unconventional, unpredictable path to the NFL.
‘Hard work works’ is his mantra, but for Pharms, it also took some outlandish faith to keep going during the lowest times.
It’s easy to have some doubt settle in when you’re working two jobs, doing two-a-days, in the offseason of a pro football career earning you $150 a game.
“People would ask, ‘What’s next? What’s next?’ I had no clue what was next. I just knew this is where I was going to end up at, in this league.”
At one point, Pharms worked multiple jobs including as a cart pusher at Walmart and as a substitute teacher. This was during the offseason of his single year playing for the Wichita Force in 2021 – a team that no longer exists.
Sure, it was pro football. But it was as far away from the NFL as it gets.
Jeremiah’s journey began in Stockton, California, where he was the oldest of five children and the son of a former University of Washington standout linebacker.
Pharms started playing football at age 6 and fell in love with it.
He played linebacker and defensive end but was far from a high school standout on the stacked Stagg High team.
Without any major offers for a full-ride scholarship, he enrolled at Sacramento City College, a JUCO in California.
It was there where two of his coaches – Coach Herilhy and Coach Walker – first planted the seed that he could eventually play on Sundays.
“…They were the first ones who told me I could make it to the NFL. So after that, it kinda became a dream…and then I started chasing it.”
But his dream had much more chasing to do. He was still an unknown, undersized player with no buzz.
It’s hard to imagine now calling a 6’2″ 300-pound man undersized, but back then he was.
Jeremiah’s freshman year profile listed him at 235 – about 60 pounds shy of your average NFL D-lineman.
Ahead of his sophomore season, Pharms transferred to San Joaquin Delta College – another junior college in his hometown of Stockton.
While he made an immediate impression with his work ethic, he didn’t burst onto the scene with any special attention or fanfare.
It wasn’t until he transferred to Friends University in 2018 and changed positions that he had his first breakthrough.
At Friends, his coach thought he would be better on the defensive line, so he gained some weight and switched positions.
The transition didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped, only logging two sacks in his first season there.
So Pharms went back to work, lost some weight, and added strength in the offseason.
The next season, he took the NAIA by storm.
Jeremiah recorded 14.5 sacks, led the league in tackles for loss, and even set a school record with five sacks in one game.
He earned a spot on the NAIA All-American team and was invited to a scouting showcase at the FCS Bowl.
Things were starting to look bright…until they didn’t.
Unfortunately, NFL scouts doubted whether Pharms could play in the NFL due to lower levels of competition in the NAIA.
Add that to the fact he had to complete a virtual pro day in 2020 due to COVID restrictions.
The 2020 NFL Draft came and went. His phone never rang.
Now what?
“Trying to figure out if my dream was really a dream or was me being delusional, I had to find that balance…But I just never gave up.”
He did keep on going, despite no real prospects to make it to the NFL.
Pharms did what he knew how to do: put his head down and kept working.
During this year and a half, he worked out daily with his mentor and former coach James Tabor while juggling multiple jobs.
To make ends meet, he did everything from working as a janitor at a laundromat, a cleanup construction job, pushing carts at Walmart, substitute teaching at a local Wichita school, and serving as a security guard at a bar.
“He’d work overnight at Walmart, get off at 4 o’clock, meet me at the gym by 5 (a.m.),” Tabor said.
“And then he’d go substitute teach afterwards. After substitute teaching, we may go to the field and run or work on position drills. So he wasn’t getting a lot of sleep. There were a lot of days when I would have understood if he had to take a break. But that just wasn’t in him.”
Pharms only had one offer to continue playing football with the long shot of making it to the NFL.
That was with the Wichita Force, a $150-per-game semi-pro team that played indoors.
“Work is gonna be there forever,” he said. “But you only got now to chase this dream. You’re not gonna be young forever, so chase it while you can.”
After Wichita’s season ended, Pharms and Tabor took multiple trips to regional combines in Texas so scouts could see him live.
Another opportunity to keep playing finally presented itself.
It was from the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL.
Pharms was drafted and played with the Maulers in 2022 during their sole season of existence in the rebooted league.
The team was abysmal, finishing 1-9, but Pharms was a breakout star on the defensive line. He notched 32 tackles and two sacks, enough to catch the eye of one of the best coaches in NFL history.
When Bill Belichick was asked about Pharms and his journey to the NFL after signing him, he said:
“Pharms is a good example…A guy that came in and was in good shape and played well, played hard, was productive. His career is still continuing. Guys like that, they are able to take advantage of that opportunity, so that’s been good for players like that to get that extra shot.”
That’s high praise from one of the best.
But the hard work hasn’t stopped for Pharms.
The Patriots signed him for the first time in July 2022 but then waived him in August before signing him to the practice squad.
It’s a strategic move NFL teams can use to preserve valuable roster spots while keeping unheralded players like Pharms within their ecosystem to develop.
He made enough of an impression to earn a top spot on the recall list for early-season signings. Pharms was signed temporarily, then released another time while reverting back to their practice squad.
Then in November of 2023, right after he turned 27 years old, he finally earned a spot on New England’s 53-man active roster.
This season, Pharms has become a key player in the Patriots’ defensive front rotation. He’s third in number of snaps played at defensive tackle so far this season and has recorded four tackles.
So far, head coach Jerod Mayo likes what he sees.
“His story is remarkable, a guy just on the street. He was here, we moved him to fullback. He played defensive tackle, he played guard, he played all those positions. When you find a player that just loves the game of football, no matter what the coach asks him to do, it’s a great player, in my mind. And Pharms displays that.”
The oldest of five, father of four daughters, and former journeyman of two defunct pro teams and three different colleges has plenty to be proud of.
But he refuses to sit back and get complacent.
“I’m getting closer to where I wanna be,” Pharms said.
“So me getting here isn’t the goal. Me being a name in this league is a goal. Me being a great player when I’m done is a goal. I’ve got a lot to work on.”
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