Former Lancaster Catholic standout ready for NFL training camp with Tampa Bay

Ryan Purvis did not hear his name get called on NFL Draft Day … but it didn’t take the former Lancaster Catholic standout very long to land a gig.

After spending less than 24 hours as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, Purvis – fresh out of Boston College, where he enjoyed a solid career playing tight end for the Eagles – signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Purvis spent the first part of this summer going through mini-camps and OTA’s with the Bucs, and he’s set to report to his first full NFL training camp later this month.

The bruising tight end played four seasons for Boston College, finishing his college career with 113 catches for 1,122 yards and six touchdowns. He even got to play with current Atlanta Falcons standout quarterback Matt Ryan.

Purvis had an unforgettable career for Lancaster Catholic, where he was an All-Star performer in football and in basketball, where he helped the Crusaders go 35-0 and win the state Triple-A championship.

Purvis has been around town the last couple of weeks working out and prepping for training camp. I chatted with him this week about his brief stint with the Eagles, about signing with Tampa Bay and what he’ll need to do to stick with the Bucs, about his career at Boston College and about his days at Lancaster Catholic.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

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