Gorman: Goda a model for success after football

Devin Goda always dreamed of playing in the NFL, of catching passes for a living and someday seeing his face on posters in sporting goods stores.

His dream has come true, just not the way the former Elizabeth Forward and Slippery Rock receiver ever expected.

Two years ago, Goda was an undrafted free agent preparing to go to training camp with the Baltimore Ravens.

At 6-foot-2, 228 pounds, Goda was a big wideout who was a third-team Division II All-America selection as a senior. He concluded his college career as the second-leading receiver in Slippery Rock history with 173 receptions for 2,259 yards.

But he was buried on the Ravens' depth chart behind Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones and was cut from the team that would go on to win Super Bowl XLVII.

“It hit me harder than I'd imagined when I was let go,” said Goda, 25. “It was really tough at first. I wanted to play. That's all I'd thought about as I was growing up. To not see myself as an NFL athlete was really hard.”

Now?

Not so much.

Goda is a rising star in the fashion industry as a fitness model whose sculpted physique has helped him become the face of ad campaigns from Calvin Klein to Levi's.

Instead of playing against the Philadelphia Eagles, he's appeared in ads for American Eagle. Instead of catching passes from Tom Brady, he's worked for Tommy Hilfiger.

Next, Goda will appear in Macy's three-stop Glamorama tour, starting with a July 23 show in Minneapolis, followed by Chicago and San Francisco.

“The NFL is great,” Goda said, “but I wouldn't trade this for anything.”

Goda also had tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers and contemplated playing in the CFL before deciding to chase another lucrative career.

“The transition from football to modeling was a task that Devin wanted to achieve,” said Luke Simone, his agent with Wilhelmina Models.

“His work ethic from football clearly has showed to be true with modeling here in New York, so it's no surprise that Devin's rise in the modeling world has skyrocketed the way it has. He's the ultimate guy: athletic, great personality and good looks.”

The former WPIAL and PSAC star has a distinctive look, not only because of his chiseled 210-pound frame but his bi-racial features.

The son of Darryl Johnson, who is black, and Mary Ann Goda, who is white, Goda grew up on his grandparents' sheep farm in Forward Township, where he learned work ethic by baling hay every summer.

“It's a transition, for sure, but the competitiveness is still there,” Goda said. “You have to compete with all the male models in the industry. You have to show what you have to offer. Most of the clients like me because I have a different look and a backstory they love, with me playing football.

“In the back of my head, I always wanted to play. Right now, I don't miss it at all because of the success — knock on wood. I didn't want to bounce around for a couple years and have nothing happen. With this modeling thing, you have ‘it' one week and the next you might not.”

Goda's comfort in the equipment, as well as the ease with which he catches passes, make him a natural for the camera at football-related shoots.

“That's the thing that calms me down from missing football,” Goda said. “I can still have that feeling of playing — without getting beat up.”

Where Goda's NFL dreams ended at the Ravens' Under Armour Performance Center, he now returns to Baltimore for photo shoots as a featured model for Under Armour's compression clothing line.

And get this: After only four months in New York, his salary is similar to someone making the NFL minimum.

“I never thought I'd get a shot at playing in the NFL and now, I'm the face of Under Armour,” Goda said. “Even as a little kid, I'd look at those posters and want to be the face of them. It's crazy how things work. It's not quite the way I expected, but hey ... ”

Goda's post-football career path might not have followed the blueprint, but it surely is something to model.

Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.