Former Daleville standout eyes professional football career

Roman Buchanan was a standout football player at both Daleville High School and South Alabama. Now, Buchanan is looking to overcome some adversity and further his career in either the NFL or the CFL.

Buchanan was an all-state defensive back at Daleville before earning a scholarship to the University of South Alabama.

“The thing I remember most about Daleville is just having the whole community come out and watch you play,” Buchanan said of his hometown. “That’s really a special thing and something you really miss when you go off to college.”

Buchanan said that sense of community has always stuck with him.

“When you’re at a small school like Daleville, it’s really a personal relationship with the supporters there,” Buchanan said. “You either go to church with everybody or went to school with their brother or go to a barbecue at their house.

“That’s special to me. It’s much more personal and everyone supporting the school and the football team is very close to you.”

Going from Daleville to South Alabama in Mobile was a bit of a culture shock for the former Warhawk.

“It was a huge shock for me,” Buchanan said. “The first week or so there I wanted to come back home. I wasn’t used to being away from my family for an extended period of time, but that’s something that you have to get used to as you grow up.”

That culture shock was partly why he chose South Alabama over other schools like Southern Miss and Georgia Tech, according to Buchanan.

Despite his early frustrations, Buchanan quickly made his mark on the South Alabama Jaguars football team. He earned three starts as a true freshman at strong safety before becoming the permanent starter heading into his sophomore campaign.

As a sophomore, Buchanan started every game and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors as a junior in 2015. He was also the first non-senior to ever be voted team captain as a junior.

Then, heading into his senior season a new defensive coaching staff asked Buchanan to switch positions from strong safety to linebacker.

“I definitely didn’t like the move,” Buchanan said. “It was something that came with the new coaching staff, and basically I just had to get over myself and how I felt about it personally.

“I played so many positions at Daleville which made it an easier transition for me than some people would have been able to, and the footwork going from defensive back to linebacker is much easier than going from linebacker to defensive back.”

Despite his reservations Buchanan ended his senior campaign with a career-high 86 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and an interception.

Buchanan was also awarded the No. 5 jersey by the Jaguars coaching staff, an honor given out each year to a senior in tribute of former USA running back Anthony Mostella, who died in a motorcycle accident prior to his senior season in 2010.

Buchanan was also voted team captain for the second consecutive year, becoming the first Jaguar to receive that honor.

“Both were huge honors for me, but I think being named team captain was more of a big deal to me,” Buchanan said. “I’m out there on the field with those other guys and to know how highly they thought of me really meant a lot. Knowing that you’re respected is a really good feeling.

“No. 5 was still a big deal but it’s just that being team captain meant more to me, personally.”

Following his junior campaign, Buchanan was a legitimate NFL prospect, but following his move to linebacker, and an injury before his pro-day workout, he wasn’t selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Buchanan said that looking back on the situation, he likely would have transferred if he could do it over again.

“No one wants to sit out a year, but if I had someone in my corner with type of knowledge I probably would have transferred,” Buchanan said of the possibility of transferring. “The college degree is a blessing, the housing is a blessing and the food is a blessing, but at the end of the day sometimes you do have to be a little selfish to a degree.”

Buchanan said that even looking past his own NFL aspirations, he would have had a bigger impact on the team from his original safety position.

“That’s what I’ve been training at my whole life and I got very good at playing safety,” he said. “I think I would have been able to help the team more from there.

“I can help from just about any position, I’m very versatile, but I would have had my biggest impact on the game and the team at safety.”

After going undrafted, Buchanan signed with the Atlanta Falcons before a knee injury led to his release. Buchanan said he’s currently training for a possible NFL return or even a venture to Canada to play for the CFL.

“I’m back in Mobile training for the CFL,” Buchanan said. “Their rosters open up after NFL training camp ends. So, hopefully I’ll get a chance there if an NFL team doesn’t call.

“The NFL is still something I definitely want but the CFL is probably a little bit more realistic for me right now.”

Despite his frustrations as a senior, Buchanan says he will forever be grateful for USA.

“I definitely am grateful to South (Alabama) for the education I have,” he said. “The school is incredible and Mobile is a great city. My last year was tough but I really enjoyed my time there otherwise.”