A Gambia-born pass rusher whose winding junior college road led him to LSU and now a second stint in Houston.
Ali Gaye's journey to the NFL is one of the more unusual in the league, moving from Gambia to Washington state as a child and picking up football only in the eighth grade. After stints with the Texans and Titans, he returned to Houston in 2026 looking to carve out a steady role off the edge.
Path to the league
Gaye moved to the United States from Gambia at age 12 and didn't start playing football until he was 14. After falling short of academic requirements for Washington, he played at Arizona Western College and Garden City Community College before landing at LSU, where he earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2020. He went undrafted in 2023 and signed with the Houston Texans.
Career highlights
Gaye recorded 32 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and six passes defended in his first season at LSU in 2020. After Houston waived him in August 2024, the Tennessee Titans claimed him off waivers and he appeared in 15 games in 2024, recording 8 tackles and a sack.
2025 season recap
Gaye saw a reduced role with Tennessee in 2025, appearing in limited games before spending time on injured reserve and eventually being waived in April 2026. The Houston Texans claimed him off waivers in May 2026, giving him a second chance with the franchise that first signed him.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ali Gaye
- Pro Football Reference: Ali Gaye
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
3 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | titans | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | titans | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- LSU
- Hometown
- Lynnwood, WA, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
