Former D-III Football Player Hangs Around Gillette Stadium Hoping for a Tryout

Former UMass Dartmouth wide receiver Abiola Aborishade set a school record when he caught 84 passes in 2014. He averaged 112 all-purpose yards per game during his three-year college football career. 

Two years later, Aborishade is dead set on securing a tryout with the New England Patriots. 

According to Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com, Aborishade has been standing outside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, almost every weekday since April 21. He comes twice a day, before and after work, and holds a sign that reads: "talented hardworking athlete hoping for a chance to prove myself."

Aborishade said Patriots players Jordan Richards, Rob Ninkovich and Malcolm Butler have stopped to talk to him on their way into the facility, but no luck with the tryout yet. He has no plans to give up, though. 

Update from Monday, May 30

New England players aren't the only ones who have noticed Aborishade. Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown wants to see the former college wideout get a shot:

--End of Update--

Per Duffy, Aborishade said: "A lot of people have a Plan B. I don't really believe in Plan B's. I believe that if you have a goal, go at it as hard as you can. Once you've done everything you possibly can to reach that Plan A, even if it doesn't work out the way you want to, then you move on to another Plan A."

Though his chances of a tryout seem unlikely, there is some precedent. Linebacker Monte Gaddis secured a meeting with then-Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer in 2015, and the New York Jets actually signed wide receiver Joe Anderson after both players employed similar tactics. 

[h/t For The Win]