Justin Tucker studied music and sang opera before NFL fame. Now he’s back with the Kansas City Chiefs

While American football player Justin Tucker’s career has been built around football, his college education was very different. Before becoming an NFL kicker, he had studied music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received formal vocal training and learned to sing opera.

Music was not simply a side interest for Tucker. He earned his degree while playing college football, developing a skill that later surprised his professional teammates.

Justin Tucker Switched From Broadcast Journalism to Music

In a 2018 interview with 'What's Up? Media', Tucker explained that he wanted to study something he loved doing when he was not playing football. He enjoyed listening to, playing and creating music, so he auditioned for the university’s Butler School of Music and gained admission.


He shared at that time, "My first couple of years at Texas, I was on a track toward a degree in broadcast journalism. I took my first journalism class and, no offense, I just couldn't hang. I certainly wanted to get my degree, but I didn't want to feel like I was in school all the time. So, I went back to, “Well, what do I love doing when I'm not playing football?” And I love listening, playing, and creating music," as quoted by 'What's Up? Media'.

How Justin Tucker Learned to Sing Opera

American football player’s music studies also included classical vocal training. As part of his degree requirements, he took private voice lessons and studied bel canto, a style of classical singing associated with opera.

In a 2015 interview with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Tucker traced his interest in music to middle school, when he joined the school band and played the trumpet. He told in the interview, "I really took a liking to the technical aspect of classical music and how each and every note of a single piece was more important than the last. There's this blend of the technical side of things and the creative side of things that I was just really drawn to."

His musical interests later expanded to writing beats and producing electronic compositions and during college, he explored those styles alongside his formal vocal training.

Tucker also drew a comparison between football and music in the NEA interview. He explained that both require attention to detail, while performers must remain flexible as circumstances change.

Justin Tucker Surprised His Ravens Teammates With Opera

Tucker’s singing gained attention during his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012.

The team had a training-camp tradition in which rookies entertained veteran players by singing or performing. Tucker volunteered to sing opera and offered his teammates a choice of Italian, Russian or Latin and then finally performed the Italian song “O Sole Mio,” as per the Ravens report.

His musical interests extended beyond singing. According to the Ravens, Tucker and former University of Texas teammate Sergio Kindle made music together in Tucker’s dorm room, where Tucker had set up a makeshift recording studio. The pair recorded several club mixes and also experimented with rapping.

Tucker Also Performed at a Catholic Charities Benefit

Tucker’s vocal training took him beyond football team meetings. In 2015, he sang “Ave Maria” at a benefit concert for Catholic Charities in Baltimore accompanied by the Concert Artists of Baltimore.

His musical background has also appeared in football related promotions in 2022 when the Ravens highlighted his operatic voice in an NFL season-launch commercial.

Justin Tucker Has Now Joined Chiefs Practice Squad After NFL Suspension

Now Tucker is getting another chance in NFL after the Kansas City Chiefs reportedly signed the veteran kicker to their practice squad. The move comes after Kansas City faces questions about its kicking game following a difficult season for Harrison Butker.

According to People report, the 36 year old had not played in the NFL since the 2024 season. His 13 year run with the Baltimore Ravens ended on May 5 last year; that's when the team released him amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

HTucker had denied to all allegations, saying, “Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism.” He added, “I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork,” as per his post on social media X.

NFL suspended Tucker for first 10 games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy in June 2025. He served the suspension while he was without an NFL contract and later became eligible to return.