CARROLLTON, Ga. - Perhaps no one has had a crazier, change-filled career at the University of West Georgia than graduate student and offensive lineman Sam Regina.
And to think it almost never happened.
"Originally, I wasn't even going to come to college," recalls Regina, a native of Helena, Alabama, "I was just going to pour concrete, but late in the recruiting process the offensive line coach at the time reached out and told me just come on a visit. So, I ended up coming for a weekend and kind of fell in love with the campus."
Regina, who is one of two players still on the football roster from the 2020 recruiting class, had plenty of time to think about his decision after COVID shut down the world in the middle of his final semester of high school.
"I talked to people once COVID hit, and people told me to just go for a semester and see if I liked it, and if I hated it, I only lost a semester of time," Regina added.
Fast forward five and half years later, Regina has now started 18 consecutive games on the Wolves' offensive line while earning bachelor's degrees in business management and finance and is currently pursuing an MBA. To get to present day, however, Regina endured numerous obstacles life would throw his way.
Regina and the rest of the 2020 class had the strangest transition into college life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only sports that played outside competition in the fall of 2020 were the non-contact sports, cross country and golf.
"It was honestly a blessing in disguise not playing a season to start out," says Regina thinking back to his first fall as a student-athlete at UWG.
"That allowed me to spend a year in a collegiate strength program, a year learning our offense, so I don't think I would be in the position I am now without that," added Regina. "Obviously, I wouldn't still be playing but getting that extra year allowed me to play two seasons of Division I football."
But the years between a fall with no football in 2020 and Regina starting in West Georgia's inaugural Division I game, a win over Samford in 2024, are a story in themselves.
After playing in a handful of games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, Regina injured his back in the spring of 2022 and wouldn't return to action until the fall of 2023 after surgery and recovery.
Regina's injury was originally diagnosed with a herniated disc that would require surgery to allow him to return to the gridiron, but what was supposed to be a simple surgery turned scary and complicated very quickly once the doctors began the operation.
"The surgery was supposed to take 45 minutes, and it ended up taking over four hours," said Regina. "When the doctors opened me up, they saw some stuff that didn't show up on the original MRI earlier that year, so he had to call in another surgeon, and there was actually a medical journal published about my case."
Later, Regina learned that it was a cyst around his sciatic nerve that was found mid-operation. Regina was told by doctors at the time there were only 70 recorded cases of that specific instance in the history of modern medicine.
Not only that, but when doctors administered intravenous anesthesia, Regina's heart stopped, not once but twice, for 10 second periods, during the operation.
"That's why the surgery ended up taking so long, because after that happened they just monitored me for an hour to make sure nothing else happened."
After the scare to all involved, Regina's operation was successful, and the journey back began.
"I took my time coming back with rehab, and missed all of the 2022 season, but was able to practice the last two weeks or so," said Regina.
As expected, Regina lost weight post-operation and during rehab, getting down to 235 pounds, 65 pounds under his current playing weight.
Perseverance paid off for Regina in the end as he returned to the gridiron in 2023, UWG's final season as a Division II program. In the midst of returning from a major back surgery with complications, the University of West Georgia was undergoing change as well, transitioning to Division I and with that came change in the football program.
In his five seasons, Regina has played for four different offensive line coaches, four different offensive coordinators, and two head coaches.
All that change nearly led Regina to give up football following the 2023 season, because he was hesitant to undergo the relationship-building process with yet another group of coaches.
"Making a relationship with new coaches is not always the easiest thing because sometimes you just don't click," said Regina as he reflected on his decision to return, "But luckily me and coach (Austin) Davis had a great relationship, and still do to this day."
Davis joined head coach Joel Taylor's staff as offensive line coach ahead of the 2024 season and was promoted to offensive coordinator ahead of the current 2025 season.
"Sam brings more than just talent to the field — he brings a standard. His daily commitment to excellence challenges everyone around him to rise. He's the kind of player who shows up, leads by example, and makes those around him better — including me," Davis said of his offense's starting left guard. "Over the past two years, I've had the privilege of watching his growth and building a strong relationship built on trust. That trust has translated into success, and I'm proud to coach a player like Sam."
Regina's decision was solidified the day he met head coach Joel Taylor.
"One of the first things he said to us was 'It's a business and I'm looking for roster spots' and that's the type of coach I wanted to play for, someone who is strictly business when it comes to football," Regina recollected. "There's fun times in it and there's fun times out of it, but it's a business, and he's here to win some games."
It's no surprise that someone who is on the verge of earning his third business degree loves a coach with a business-like approach to the game, and as Regina's football career winds down this November, he's already planning his next step following his time at UWG.
Regina, a member of and graduate assistant for UWG's Blue Coats, a group of high-performing students that serve as presidential ambassadors, aspires to begin a career in the finance world.
"That's an organization that I will be forever thankful for," Regina said of the Blue Coats, "It's got me a couple of internships in undergrad and now a graduate assistant position."
Regina will depart UWG soon, carrying a 2021 win over then top-ranked West Florida as his favorite memory in a UWG uniform.
The Wolves and Regina have two home games remaining on the 2025 schedule. West Georgia hosts Central Arkansas on October 25 and Utah Tech on November 8 when Regina will be honored as part of the Senior Day festivities prior to the 2 p.m. kickoff.
