Charlotte native, former ECU football player turns heads on ‘American Idol’

GREENVILLE, N.C (WNCT) — If you’re a fan of East Carolina University and “American Idol,” you now have something in common — you’re both familiar with the name Blake Proehl.

Proehl was a wide receiver for the Pirates but is now setting his sights on a singing career. In a recent episode, he got a golden ticket that advanced him to Hollywood.

The former wide receiver at ECU and with the Minnesota Vikings got the golden ticket from singing “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young. He earned high praise from a star-studded panel of judges. It’s a journey that’s not slowing down anytime soon.

“I grew up playing football, that’s all I wanted to do, so being here now is just kind of a loss for words, to be honest,” Proehl said.

“The last couple of days have been pretty insane and I’m just really blessed and thankful to be in this spot.”

Growing up, football was all Proehl ever knew. His dad was Ricky Proehl, who had 17 years in the NFL and was one of the reasons Blake chose that path. It all changed when a knee injury that questioned his ability to walk again. He then began to pursue music.

After his audition, a couple of the judges gave him high praise. Lionel Richie said he was a natural and Katy Perry said he could go far. Proehl said performing in front of them was harder than any football game he ever played in.

“I would say it was ten times harder than any football game I’ve ever performed in, or I guess you could say played in,” he said.

“In football, there’s a bunch of people, there’s obviously huge stadiums,” he said. “But there’s something about being in a room with just a few people in silence, you know? With football, you got a football helmet on and there’s 21 other people on the field with you, there’s people yelling, noise.

“This is silence and there’s Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan staring into your soul, so it’s pretty intimidating. I would say I’ve grown a lot.”

Proehl has learned to have confidence and self-love. He hopes to inspire others who struggle to do the same.

“I just want to be a role model for kids or whatever age to kind of, you know, chase what you know, what your heart desires and what you dream of, you know,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be a change of heart it can be what you’ve always dreamed of. Just chase it with everything you have because we don’t have much time here and don’t be scared.”

Proehl added that none of this would be possible without his grandmother, his Nana. She’s the one who told him to audition for “American Idol” and even got to stand alongside Blake while he performed. She used to cheer him from the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium stands, and now she has the chance to cheer him on from the “American Idol” audience.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.