What Happened to Former Spartan Star CB Trae Waynes?

One of the best secondary defenders in the history of Michigan State football was undoubtedly cornerback Trae Waynes, a staple when mentioning the best defenders to come through East Lansing. After a three-year Spartan career and six years in the NFL, what is Waynes doing now?

The Kenosha, Wisconsin native began his career under Hall-of-Fame coach Mark Dantonio in 2012. He played in just nine games with limited snaps but certainly exploded over the following two seasons.

Waynes recorded three interceptions in both of his last two seasons in East Lansing in 2013 and 2014. He helped lead MSU to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl victory in '13 and a Cotton Bowl Championship to cap off the '14 season. He was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014, propelling him to a long NFL career.

Waynes was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the highest Spartan to be taken since star tackle Jack Conklin was taken No. 8 overall by Tennessee the following year.

The former Spartan played five seasons for Minnesota from 2015 to 2019-20, playing in 74 career games with the team. He then spent a limited season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021, the final year he would play in the NFL.

Waynes had an even better professional career than he did in East Lansing. He totaled 279 career tackles with one sack, seven interceptions, 43 pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 79 career games.

He dealt with a myriad of injuries towards the end of his career, playing in only five games due to a hamstring issue with Cincinnati. Waynes never officially retired from the NFL but has stated that he feels that his career is over, considering not playing in almost five years.

What is Waynes doing nowadays? The former Spartan has been an avid hunter for years and has dedicated a majority of his time towards managing and building his hunting outfitter business, Home Grown Outfitters. He and his wife, Kyra, co-founded the company, focusing on hunting guide service.

Waynes goes down in Spartan history as one of the leaders that helped bring prominence to the program in the early 2010s. He not only put the Spartans on the map, but his own career flourished from the accomplishments he earned while playing at Spartan Stadium.

We wish Trae nothing but the best as he continues on his journey of life.