RAFAEL VARONA BLAKSTAD had only asked for directions on campus. The guy wearing NFL Academy gear surprised the London native with his answer.

“He said ‘Have you ever played football?’ in the most American accent I’ve ever heard. I was kind of hooked from there,” said Varona Blakstad, who left a prominent rugby club to become a wide receiver.

The teenager and his mum had been visiting Loughborough University, where the NFL Academy is based. The man they bumped into was Lamonte Winston, head of the academy.