For Auburn TE Rivaldo Fairweather being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft won't just be a dream come true it will also break a family curse

Hearing your name called during the NFL Draft is a dream for so many young football players. That is also the case for Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, but at the same time, it's so much more.

Hearing his name called would mean the end of what he calls a "generational family curse" that began on the worst day of his life back after his father passed away when Fairweather was in third grade. 

"I was the one to find him after he passed away," Fairweather recently told A to Z Sports. "He died in his sleep due to a health issue none of us knew about. He had a hole in his heart, and he was just gone in what felt like a blink of an eye. Nothing was the same after that. Even as just a third grader, I knew from that day on I had to be the one to change my family's life and break a generational family curse."

Life after his father's death

For Rivaldo, or as he prefers to be called 'Valdo', his "why" for striving to make it to the NFL is the same thing that has fueled him since he was just a boy. He wants to give back to the person who has given their blood, sweat, and tears in an effort to support him in every step of his life: his mother, Michelle. Life wasn't easy for the Fairweather family, as she had to work multiple jobs in order to provide a roof over her children's heads and put food on the table. 

"I don't come from much, we weren't a wealthy family," said Fairweather. "But we never questioned whether we were loved and supported by my mom. She has been through so much and worked multiple jobs and overnight shifts just to get us a meal. She had to take on a lot after my dad's death, and she deserves so much.

"I want to make her the most comfortable woman on earth since she never got to be comfortable during our childhood. It's not a matter of if I do it, but when and how."

Valdo's love for sports also became his way out 

By the time Valdo was a freshman in high school, he had already experienced a tremendous growth spurt. He stood between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2, but football wasn't his first or even second sport. He began his high school career playing soccer and basketball. 

"As a freshman, I was only playing soccer. I played center back and midfield. During my sophomore year, I picked up basketball as well because my team didn't have much size, so I was playing power forward and center right away." 

In the beginning, football wasn't really ever a thought in Valdo's mind. During his junior year, he was goofing around on the basketball court after school one day when a football coach took notice of his athleticism. On the court, Valdo was averaging over 10 rebounds a game, and his aggressiveness on the court found him in foul trouble more often than not. Later on, both the football coaches and his basketball coaches began to tell him his body and skill set might be a better fit for football in the long term. 

"After the coaches talked me into it, I gave football a shot my junior year," said Fairweather. "And it was love at first sight or, better yet, love at first contact. By my junior year, I was now about 6-foot-4, and they had me play receiver. I dropped soccer altogether my junior year and was a two-sport athlete my final two years playing football and basketball."

Football became Valdo's true passion, but playing college sports was so important to him that he continued playing basketball in order to have as many opportunities as possible. During his senior year, though, he exploded onto the scene, finishing with 40 catches, 812 yards, 15 touchdowns, and even recorded six sacks on the other side of the ball. Even though he had only played football for two years, he began receiving D1 offers to play college ball. He ultimately committed to Florida International University, but they didn't recruit him to play receiver; instead, they thought he had more potential as a tight end. 

"Butch Davis, when he recruited me, told me I had a brighter future at tight end, and he could see me playing at the next level if I made the switch," Fairweather explained. "So I trusted him even though I knew it was going to be a big adjustment. In high school, I was pretty much the X receiver with some snaps in the slot, and now I was learning to play in the box and getting more comfortable in the slot.

"A big thing for me, though, was I didn't just want to be a receiving tight end because I wanted to play all three downs. Putting in time to improve as a blocker and continue to be a threat in the passing game was going to get me on the field more at FIU, and I was already thinking about what I needed to do to make it to the NFL."

Leaving FIU and entering the transfer portal

After a bit of a slow start at FIU, Valdo had his best season in year three with 28 catches, 426 yards, and three touchdowns. This gave him the chance to hit the transfer portal and make the jump to a bigger conference in an attempt to get more NFL eyes on him. While he was recruited coming out of high school, he had significantly more interest in the transfer portal, which, as you can imagine, was surreal.

"Coming out of high school, I felt like I was being under-recruited due to picking up football late, so I didn't have many options at the D1 level. After hitting the portal, though, I felt like everyone loved me and everyone wanted me on their team," said Fairweather. "I started hearing from some big schools like Auburn and Ohio State, and they were reaching out to me expressing interest, not the other way around, which was super cool." 

Ultimately, Fairweather landed on Auburn as the place he wanted to finish his college career. The Tigers' pursued him early and aggressively, which really stood out. It also helped that he grew up watching Cam Newton win a national championship as a Tiger.

"Auburn was one of the first schools to call me once I entered the portal. After that call, all I could think about was watching Cam Newton at Auburn as a kid and thinking about me putting on that same uniform. I took my visit there and the campus and the community immediately felt like family. That plus getting to play for Coach Freeze, who I respected and knew would give me the opportunity to show what I could do to get to the pro level." 

Adapting from FIU to Auburn and playing in the SEC

Making the jump to the SEC was, without a doubt, an adjustment for Valdo. He embraced it immediately, though, while some might shrink under the brighter lights and in front of the bigger crowds. But everything about it excited Valdo; he looked at this as his first taste of what he expected to see in the NFL. At that point, it wasn't just a goal - it was something he knew he was going to do. 

"I remember my first home game and walking in the stadium, and everything felt like it slowed down while I ran onto the field," Fairweather said while recalling his first game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. "Looking into the crowd and seeing people standing and screaming all the way up in the nose bleeds. At that moment, I felt blessed to have this chance and this shot to show the fans and the world what I could do. It honestly felt like I was getting a glimpse into my future into the NFL being in that environment.

"I knew I had made the right choice, and I knew my next stop after Auburn would be in the NFL."

Fairweather's mindset as a pass catcher and what kind of player an NFL team is getting if they draft him

Right away, Valdo showed he belonged at Auburn. He set new career highs with 38 catches and six touchdowns in 2023, along with 394 yards. He had 11 contested catches that year, the most by any tight end that played for a power five school. In 2024, he wasn't able to find the endzone as much, only scoring twice, but his talent for making contested catches remained a big part of his game. 

"People like to call contested catch opportunities 50/50 balls, but to me, I just call it my ball," Fairweather said with confidence similar to that of an accomplished NFL veteran. "I look at those as 100/0 [balls]. [Meaning] the DB has no chance to make a play on the ball.

"If a quarterback trusts me and throws it my way, I'm going to come down with the ball."

Fairweather got to show off his skills at the Shrine Bowl in January, with members from all 32 NFL teams watching on. His reliable hands and speed raised some eyebrows, with one scout in attendance sharing with me that "Fairweather might be the most slept-on athlete at TE in this class. He moves so smoothly in person [that] he might test as an absolute freak."

His athleticism might shock some people, but Valdo knows what he can do and is looking to show off during Auburn's pro day. He'll be extra motivated after getting ghosted by the NFL Scouting Combine, making the already massive chip on his shoulder even larger. 

"I'm going to run one of the fastest 40's at TE in this year's class," he said. "I have my eyes on running a low 4.5 or maybe even a high 4.4."

Valdo got to choose where he played football during his recruiting process as a high school senior and the transfer portal. This time around, however, the choice is in the hands of the top decision-makers on each NFL team. Before they make their decisions in April, he has one final message for every NFL team: Draft Rivaldo Fairweather, and you won't regret it. 

"Whichever team drafts me is getting the best tight end and most athletic tight end in this year's class. You are getting a player that is addicted to making big plays. You are getting a player that you will hear his name called a lot in your stadium for years to come.  Someone who loves the game of football and is dedicated to doing anything and everything to help the team win games. If you call my number, you won't regret it, I promise you that."