Rex Sunahara Bio
Rex Sunahara (born October 9, 1996) is an American professional football long snaper for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He is listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 245 pounds, and he has built his career on the highly specialized role of long snapping for field goals, punts, and extra points. A native of Ohio who played college football for the Rhode Island Rams and the West Virginia Mountaineers, Sunahara went undrafted in 2020 before working his way onto NFL and professional spring-football rosters.
Early Life and Background
Sunahara was born on October 9, 1996, and grew up in Bay Village, Ohio, in the greater Cleveland area. He is of Japanese descent through his father, Reed Sunahara, who came from Hawaii and later became the head coach of the women’s volleyball program at West Virginia University. Rex’s younger brother, RJ, played college basketball for the University of Georgia, giving the family a multi-sport athletic footprint.
Sunahara attended Bay High School, where he competed in varsity baseball, football, and basketball. On the football field, he lined up as a wide receiver and defensive back, showing the kind of two-way versatility that is common among multi-sport high school athletes. As a senior, his play earned him All-Ohio Division III Third Team honors, an early signal of his competitive profile.
Path to American Football
After high school, Sunahara committed to the University of Rhode Island largely because the program allowed him to remain a multi-sport athlete. At Rhode Island he played football and walked on to the basketball team, appearing in eight games as the long snapper and recording four special teams tackles, while also logging time in three basketball games with one rebound. That Rhode Island season gave him his first sustained exposure to the long snapper role, a position that demands accuracy, consistency, and quiet reliability.
After his first year at Rhode Island, Sunahara decided to transfer to West Virginia to pursue a higher level of college football. He walked on to the Mountaineers program before the 2016 season and spent two years behind starter Nick Meadows. The patience paid off: in 2018 Sunahara became West Virginia’s starting long snapper, starting 24 games across the 2018 and 2019 seasons and recording four special teams tackles. Following the 2019 season he was named a Patrick Mannelly Award Semifinalist, an honor that recognizes the top long snapper in college football, and he was invited to both the 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the 2020 Hula Bowl All-Star Game.
Rex Sunahara Career
Early Career (2020)
Sunahara went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on August 1, 2020. He was waived just three days later, then worked out for the Pittsburgh Steelers before landing back on the Miami Dolphins practice squad on November 16, 2020. The season gave him his first sustained taste of an NFL building, even if his playing time was limited to the practice field.
After the 2020 season Sunahara signed a reserve and futures contract with the Dolphins, returning to the practice squad for the 2021 campaign. He was waived again on August 9, 2021, beginning a stretch of short stints and tryouts that have defined the early portion of his professional career.
Miami Dolphins Era (2020-2021)
Sunahara’s first NFL chapter revolved almost entirely around the Miami Dolphins practice squad. He bounced between the active roster and the practice squad in 2020, then signed a reserve and futures deal to remain with the organization into 2021. Despite the stability of the affiliation, he did not break into regular game action, and the Dolphins waived him for the second time in August 2021.
Pittsburgh Steelers Era (2021-2022 and 2023)
On December 8, 2021, Sunahara signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was assigned to their practice squad. He was released two days later but returned on January 18, 2022, on a reserve and futures contract. The Steelers waived him on May 10, 2022, ending his first stint with the organization.
After a season in spring football, Sunahara rejoined Pittsburgh on June 19, 2023, signing a one-year deal. He was released on August 26, 2023, before the regular season began. Across both stints, the Steelers used him primarily as a developmental long snapper and practice squad option rather than as a game-day contributor.
San Antonio Brahmas Era (2023 and 2024)
On November 17, 2022, Sunahara was selected with the seventh pick of the specialists phase of the 2023 XFL Draft by the San Antonio Brahmas, the spring league affiliate based in San Antonio, Texas. He appeared in all ten games during the 2023 XFL season, his first sustained stretch of regular in-game action as a professional. His work in San Antonio earned him a workout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in June 2023.
Sunahara returned to the Brahmas on January 24, 2024, for their UFL season, before having his contract terminated on August 8, 2024. The two Brahmas stints gave him the most on-field experience of his career heading into his next NFL opportunity.
Cleveland Browns Era (2024-Present)
On August 8, 2024, Sunahara signed with the Cleveland Browns, returning to his home state of Ohio. He was waived on August 26, re-signed to the practice squad, and released again a few days later. The Browns then signed him to their active roster on October 9, 2024, his birthday, giving him a regular-season opportunity in the league where he grew up watching football.
Driving Style and Strengths
Sunahara’s professional value rests on the unglamorous fundamentals of long snapping: consistent trajectory, clean catches for punters and holders, and the ability to absorb contact on special teams. At 6 feet 6 inches and 245 pounds, he has the size to handle NFL-level defensive linemen, and his college track record of 24 starts at West Virginia suggests a player who can be trusted with a long string of low-mistake snaps.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the highlights of Sunahara’s career are his Patrick Mannelly Award Semifinalist recognition after the 2019 season, his invitations to the 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the 2020 Hula Bowl, and his selection in the 2023 XFL Draft by the San Antonio Brahmas. His promotion to the Cleveland Browns’ active roster on October 9, 2024, stands as the clearest sign yet that an NFL team views him as a viable long-term long snapper.
Rex Sunahara Career Wins
Because long snappers are evaluated more on consistency and roster survival than on countable victories, Sunahara’s career milestones are tied to roster moves, postseason all-star recognition, and sustained starting roles rather than win totals. The most notable of these are his 24 starts at West Virginia from 2018 to 2019, his Patrick Mannelly Award Semifinalist nod in 2019, and his ten appearances for the San Antonio Brahmas in 2023.
San Antonio Brahmas Highlights
Sunahara played in all ten games for the San Antonio Brahmas during the 2023 XFL season, his most complete professional season to date. The role established him as a trusted long snapper at a professional level and helped him earn a workout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in June 2023.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his Brahmas tenure, Sunahara’s strongest performances came during his 24-game starting stretch at West Virginia and his eight-game debut season at Rhode Island. His All-Ohio Division III Third Team selection as a senior at Bay High School was the first of those public markers, and his two invitations to major postseason college all-star games in 2020 confirmed his draft-eligible status as one of the top long snappers in his class.
Rex Sunahara Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Sunahara comes from an athletic family with strong ties to coaching and college sports. His father, Reed Sunahara, is of Japanese descent, came from Hawaii, and serves as the head coach of the women’s volleyball program at West Virginia University, the same school where Rex played his final two college seasons. His younger brother, RJ Sunahara, played college basketball for the University of Georgia, extending the family’s reach across multiple NCAA programs.
Personal Life
Rex Sunahara is a native of Bay Village, Ohio, and his return to the Cleveland Browns in 2024 placed him back in the region where he grew up. Public details about his marital status, spouse, and children are not widely reported, and he keeps most of his personal life private outside of his social media presence on X and Instagram under the handle rexsunahara.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 NFL season, Rex Sunahara enters the year as a member of the Cleveland Browns after being elevated to the active roster on October 9, 2024. The Browns’ decision to promote him on his birthday suggested an organization ready to give him a real look as a long-term long snapper, and the early 2025 storyline centers on whether he can hold that job through training camp and into the regular season.
The Browns’ special teams operation will be the key measuring stick for Sunahara in 2025, with coaches typically evaluating long snappers on the speed and accuracy of snaps to both the punter and the field-goal holder. After spending the previous two years bouncing between the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Antonio Brahmas, he finally has a chance to settle into a single building and build a track record of clean snaps over a full NFL season.
For Sunahara, the 2025 outlook is straightforward: hold the Browns’ long snapper job, deliver clean snaps throughout the year, and avoid the kind of in-game miscues that usually end a specialist’s tenure. With his size, his 24-game starting background at West Virginia, and a full season of professional experience in the XFL behind him, he has the résumé to make that case if the on-field product matches the scouting report.