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Anita Roman wanted her son involved in athletics, but not football.

“I told him I wanted him to do something safe, like tennis or golf,” she said. “Tiger Woods was famous.”

But that changed around Travis Roman’s fourth grade year. The now-17-year-old was playing in a park when someone approached with a flyer about football.

And on Wednesday, Roman and his teammate Landon Caywood signed letters of intent to play college football after graduation.

“We are real excited about their journey and where they’re headed,” said Nederland High School Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Monte Barrow. “I don’t think either school realizes what they’re getting.”

Caywood, who was an outside linebacker and occasional receiver at NHS, signed to play offense for Blinn College.

“I think he’ll be a big surprise for their program, and I look forward to seeing that happen,” Barrow said.

Roman was a cornerback and occasional receiver in high school.

“He could end up on either side of the ball,” Barrow said. “There’s no limit to what he can do, as well as Landon.”

Caywood began his football career at a young age.

“I grew up watching football with my dad, and I started playing when I was younger,” he said. “When I started playing, I was younger than everyone else. I was the youngest one on the team.”

The high school senior selected Blinn for the opportunities.

“They have a good program for the position that I’m going to play, and they’ve had a lot of talents out of their program go to bigger schools for the position I’m going to play,” he said.

Roman’s school first picked him.

“I decided on Commerce because they were the very first camp that I went to,” he said. “I showed out, showed what I can do, and they offered me right there on the spot. Ever since they’ve been checking on me, and it felt like family. We went up to visit and I loved the campus.”