The start of the 2023 XFL season will include familiar names from years prior, from both college football and the NFL.
One of those names: John Parker Romo, kicker for the San Antonio Brahmas. He joins the XFL franchise after a three-year stint at Virginia Tech followed by a brief foray into the NFL with the Saints.
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When Romo has his first kickoff, field-goal or point-after attempt, it naturally will raise the question: Is he related to Cowboys quarterback-turned-CBS announcer Tony Romo? The two share an uncommon last name and both play football — so it wouldn't be out of the question if they were related.
Regardless, Romo the kicker will look to be a significant contributor to a franchise looking to legitimize the spring football league. If sharing a last name with Tony Romo does that, then all the batter for the league and Brahmas.
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The Sporting News looks at John Parker Romo's history, including whether he's related to Tony Romo:
Is John Parker Romo related to Tony Romo?
No, John Parker Romo is not related to Tony Romo. According to his Virginia Tech bio, he is the son of Brenda and Jimmy Romo. He also has two older siblings, Austin and Sara. Tony Romo's parents are Joan and Ramiro Romo, and Andy Alberth is his cousin.
John Parker Romo Virginia Tech stats
John Parker Romo was a three-year letterman for the Hokies from 2019-21, which followed stints at Central Arkansas and Tulsa, where he played in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
At Central Arkansas, Romo averaged 56 yards per kick on 44 kickoffs. At Tulsa, he was part of the American American Conference's top-ranked kickoff coverage unit, averaging 61.1 yards per kickoff with 28 touchdowns. He also tried his hand at field goals with the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 2 of 5 attempts with a long of 34 yards.
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In Romo's first year at Virginia Tech, he kicked off 69 times, with 46 touchbacks. He averaged 64.1 yards per kickoff. He also subbed in for injured punter Oscar Bradburn on Nov. 2, 2019, punting eight times for an average of 44.3 yards.
In 2020, Romo kicked off 55 times, with 35 resulting in touchbacks. His kicks averaged 62.7 yards. It wasn't until 2021 that Romo began consistently attempting field goals. He more than made up for the long wait, connecting on 18 of 22 attempts (81.8 percent), including seven of 40-plus yards. He also made all 34 point-after attempts to finish the season with 88 points.
Romo continued kicking off for Virginia Tech in 2021, with 64 kicks and 30 touchbacks.
John Parker Romo NFL stats
Romo went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with the Saints on May 1, 2022, per Spotrac. He was waived on Aug. 15, 2022, and again on Aug. 21, 2022. He did not log any stats in New Orleans.
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John Parker Romo XFL Draft
Though Romo went undrafted in the NFL, he heard his name called — metaphorically — in the 2022 XFL Draft. He was the Brahmas' second selection in the specialist round, after long snapper Rex Sunahara.
San Antonio selected Romo with the 10th pick of the second round for specialists on Nov. 17, 2022:
Let’s gooooo!!!!!!!! Blessed!!!!! https://t.co/axhYMrTodD
— John Parker Romo (@Romo_HKA) November 17, 2022
