Rayuan Lane III has found a way to make every snap count for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that mindset fits the second-year safety perfectly.
A Naval Academy graduate and 2nd Lt. Rayuan Lane III (USMC Reserve), Lane has brought the same day-to-day discipline from Annapolis into the NFL. That approach has already helped him carve out a role on special teams, where he led the Jaguars in tackles as a rookie, and it could soon earn him more defensive snaps in his second season.
“The biggest thing is just knowing that every day you're going to have to grind,” he said Aug. 24 after the Jaguars practiced at the Miller Electric Center, referencing how military life has prepared him for the NFL.
“Being at the Naval Academy, every day we were getting up and we were going to work, whether that was with football or school, academics, whatever it might be. That's the same kind of thing here. Just waking up, putting in that work, and then putting in that extra work.”
Lane’s path to the league also carries a layer that used to be off-limits for service academy players. In another era, graduates would have been required to complete five years of active duty before even thinking about a pro football career. Lane, though, is cleared to play because of the FY25 NDAA amendment, 10 U.S.C. 8459, which allows service members who land jobs as professional athletes to be transferred to the reserves.
For a sixth-round pick who stands a shade under 6 feet and weighs 200 pounds, the hustle has always been part of the deal. Lane embraced special teams as a rookie not just because it got him on the field, but because he understands how much those reps matter.
“Special teams is really, really important,” he said. “We talk about field position, momentum … just trying to make an impact in any way you can.
Obviously, everybody wants to be that guy on defense, and I'm not saying that I'm not going to try to get there. But at the same time, it's owning a role and doing the most you can for your team.”
That attitude showed up in college, too. In 2024, Lane was a key defensive starter for Navy on a 10-3 team that beat Army and Air Force to win the Commander in Chief's Trophy and also knocked off Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. Even with that workload, he still earned College Football Network's Special Teams Player of the Year honors, returning punts, serving as a gunner and working kickoff coverage.
The Jaguars saw that same edge right away. Lane finished last season with a team-high 15 special-teams tackles, and special teams coordinator Heath Farwell doesn’t sound worried about a slowdown. Farwell pointed to Lane and second-year safety Caleb Ransaw as two of the team’s best weapons on punt coverage.
“Caleb Ransaw has been a fantastic gunner … right there with Rayuan," Farwel said. "Between those two guys, I think we have two of the better gunners in the National Football League.”
Lane is still pushing for more on defense, where he backs up Eric Murray at free safety. He had three tackles in last week’s 34-17 loss to Carolina, picked off Trevor Lawrence on the second day of camp and has been active against the run.
He said the biggest adjustment on that side of the ball is learning how to keep everything connected.
“One big thing is communication,” he said. “Getting everybody on the defense on the same page within checks and calls, and just understanding how the offense is trying to attack us.”
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has seen the progress from Lane, Ransaw and rookie Jalen Huskey behind veterans Antonio Johnson and Murray.
“All the young guys, they're all doing a good job battling it out,” he said on Aug. 8.
“So, these next few weeks will tell us a lot, and they're all competing really, really hard. So, it's a race to see who progresses the quickest.”
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Before Jacksonville gets there, it still has one more exhibition to handle in the preseason finale against the Buccaneers on Aug. 28. Lawrences comments fit the moment the Jaguars are in now: camp is nearly over, the regular season is close enough to change how everyone prepares, and the next few days are about making sure the teams attention is exactly where it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]