Noah Fenske "playing with house money" after accepting camp invite with Kansas City Chiefs

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois center Noah Fenske will be in Kansas City tomorrow for a four-day audition to play in the National Football League, after accepting a rookie minicamp invitation with the Chiefs.

Fenske, who turns 26 next month, understands the odds are stacked against him.

"This is like playing with house money to me," Fenske said. "I'm going to go all-in, just to leave it all out there and see what happens. I've always liked being a person who has his back against the wall."

Following stops at Iowa and Colorado, Fenske arrived at SIU in 2023 and became one of the top offensive linemen in the FCS. In March, he produced eye-popping Pro Day numbers with 32 reps on the bench press, plus a 4.88 40-yard dash.

Fenske said he's been training with DeLaCruz Sports Performance in Florida the last three weeks to sharpen his edge heading into the minicamp tryout.

"I've been learning some different variations to offensive line play, understanding how to fire my body in different ways," he explained. "It's just more of a pro-style approach rather than getting as strong as humanly possible."

While he pursues his dream of playing in the NFL, Fenske has turned over his own sports performance business in Carbondale to his brother, Josh.

"Josh has done a great job of maintaining the standard that's set in that gym," Fenske said. "We work together on writing the programs and making sure that these kids have the best opportunity, and if anybody would like to work with him, just go ahead and reach out to us on Instagram."

Fenske said playing for the Chiefs organization, a perennial Super Bowl contender, would be the perfect fit for his mentality.

"I want to do anything and everything it takes to be a winner," Fenske said. "And to be able to go out there and compete with the best in the world, the best franchise in the world, is an incredible opportunity. I'm excited to get to wear an NFL helmet this weekend and showcase what I've learned over the last few years."