Raion Strader

Raion Strader
Pittsburgh Panthers
PositionCornerback
ClassSenior
Personal information
Born (2004-11-14) November 14, 2004[1]
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolPenn Hills
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Raion Strader (born November 14, 2004)[1] is an American college football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He previously played for the Miami RedHawks and the Auburn Tigers.

Early life

Strader is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] He attended Penn Hills High School, where he played football and was a wrestler.[2] He was the football team captain twice and was also a first-team all-conference selection in both his junior and senior years.[2] He received little attention as a recruit and committed to play college football for the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.[3]

College career

Miami (OH)

Strader became a starter as a true freshman for Miami in 2023, starting 12 of 13 games at cornerback while totaling 57 tackles, 13 pass breakups and an interception.[4] He helped Miami record 11 wins while winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and appearing in the 2023 Cure Bowl.[4] He was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), being the first to receive the honor for Miami since Ben Roethlisberger in 2001.[5]

Strader remained starter in 2024 and helped Miami to another MAC championship appearance.[3] In 2024, he totaled 53 tackles, two interceptions and 18 pass breakups, being the national leader in pass breakups.[2][6] He was named first-team All-MAC and the MAC Cornerback of the Year for his performance.[2] He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the season, finishing his two-year stint with the RedHawks having totaled 110 tackles and three interceptions.[7]

Auburn

Strader transferred to the Auburn Tigers for the 2025 season.[6]

On December 4, 2025, Strader announced that he would enter the transfer portal for the second time.[8]

Pittsburgh

On January 8, 2026, Strader announced that he would transfer to Pittsburgh.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b @RaionStrader (November 14, 2020). "Blessed to see 16 🖤" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2026 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Raion Strader". Auburn Tigers.
  3. ^ a b Hauch, Brian (December 16, 2024). "Highly-touted transfer cornerback Raion Strader commits to Auburn". USA Today.
  4. ^ a b Rizzo, Josh (December 17, 2023). "Penn Hills grad Raion Strader makes immediate impact for Miami (Ohio) defense". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved April 1, 2025 – via archive.today.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ^ Murphy, Kevin (January 22, 2024). "Penn Hills grad Strader named an All-American". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Cole, Adam (December 17, 2024). "Auburn football lands Miami-Ohio transfer CB Raion Strader. Here's why he chose the Tigers". The Montgomery Advertiser.
  7. ^ Rauterkus, Peter (December 17, 2024). "Former Miami (OH) cornerback Raion Strader signs with Auburn football". AL.com.
  8. ^ Pinkston, Cole (December 4, 2025). "Auburn CB Raion Strader plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal". On3. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  9. ^ Humphrey III, Jerry (January 8, 2026). "Former Auburn cornerback commits to ACC program, reports say". AL.com. Retrieved January 24, 2026.