American Idol is back! The reality singing competition’s 22nd season premiered Sunday night (February 18) and was jam-packed with incredible auditions, including one from a former NFL football player.
Blake Proehl, a North Carolina native and former professional athlete, traded the football field for the stage in hopes of being named the next American Idol. According to the Charlotte Observer, Proehl played wide receiver at East Carolina University before signing with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
Proehl was forced to miss his rookie season after a torn ACL at training camp sidelined him. He returned to the field the following year and spent the season on the practice squad.
After being cut from the Vikings, Proehl turned his attention to music and shared numerous song covers on Tiktok where he had already amassed an impressive following.
In 2021, Blake shared a video of him singing for his grandma for the first time. In the clip he asks his grandma if he can play the piano. She responds by asking, “Can you?” He says, “It’s worth a try.”
He proceeds to play and sing Brett Young’s 2017 hit, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” as his grandma looks on, clearly surprised at what she was hearing. The video has garnered nearly 4 million views to date.
@blakeproehl A moment I’ll never forget 🖤 I love you Nana. #givingszn #reaction? #incaseyoudidntknow ♬ original sound – Blake Proehl
Blake Proehl chose to sing the same song for his American Idol audition and brought his grandma along for the special moment.
“I think I just found music super healing, and my grandma is the reason why I’m here,” Prohel told the American Idol judges during his audition. “She’s the reason why I have any confidence at all to be in this room.”
The judges responded that his grandma’s intuition about Blake’s talent was spot-on and unanimously voted to send him through to Hollywood. Lionel Richie predicted that the singer would be a Top 10 finisher and praised Blake’s grandma for recognizing her grandson’s talent.
Watch Blake Proehl’s American Idol audition performance of “In Case You Didn’t Know” in the video below.