When Akari Regis was turned loose on the floor of her father's family home in LaPorte, Texas, with four styrofoam cups bearing the logos of four NFL teams, she was as relentless as her father Albert can be chasing down a ball carrier.
It was a fun family experiment: Could Akari, then 9 months, pick the team that would draft her father? So on the morning of Day 2 of the NFL draft on April 24, Akari was set loose on the floor, with the cups representing the teams Albert Regis thought were the most likely to draft him a few feet away.
Akari didn't hesitate. She crawled at warp speed and made a beeline for the second cup on the left, ignoring those with the logos of Kansas City, Baltimore and Miami.
Akira's choice was the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A few
hours later, Albert Regis got a phone call with a 904 area code. It was Jaguars coach Liam Coen notifying the Texas A&M star that he was the Jags' 81st selection overall, in the third round.
Score one for Akari.
"That was all a blur," Regis said after the Jaguars practiced Aug. 17 at the Miller Electric Center. "I don't remember the phone call. I just remember seeing the '904' and underneath it said 'Jacksonville, Florida.' The phone rang, and everyone looked at me and I picked it up. I've never heard the house go so quiet."
Former Texas A&M DT Albert Regis’ daughter, Akari, got to “pick” his draft spot this morning, and crawled to the Jaguars cup.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 25, 2026
Hours later, Jacksonville picked Regis at No. 81 overall. 🔮 pic.twitter.com/pfZZ13PGYA
And Regis wants it to be known what Akari's apparent act of clairvoyance in predicting her father's landing spot in the NFL was part of a process.
He first set down cups with the divisions of each conference (AFC and NFC South, East, West and North), and she picked the AFC South. And he said he put Akari down in front of a choice of cups twice, and she picked the Jags both times.
Sounds like fate ... and a pretty perceptive child.
Regis gets off to a fast start
After a solid but relatively unspectacular training camp in the first two weeks, Regis made a big play in the Jaguars' 24-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the first preseason game on Aug. 15 in New Orleans.
During the third quarter, after Saints quarterback Zach Wilson moved his team to a first down at the Jaguars' 37, Regis busted through the line and sacked Wilson for a 14-yard loss. New Orleans eventually had to attempt a long Charlie Smyth field goal, which missed. The offense scored 10 points on their next two possessions to take the lead for good.
Much like his draft day phone call from the Jaguars, Regis said it was a bit of a blur when trying to recount how the play unfolded.
"When a play's happening, your eyes always get big … just naturally wants to see everything," he said. "As I go through, it was just me, the turf and the quarterback. I swear, I didn't have eyelids the whole time."
It was just the first preseason game and doesn't count, but Regis said it was quite the moment.
"Wasn't really SportsCenter Top 10," he said. "It was a normal move but it was a good feeling … it was a great feeling."
Liam Coen on Regis: 'A work in progress'
Coen said Regis and other young defensive lineman have been making more progress in recent training camp practices. Regis is the second team nose tackle behind DaVon Hamilton.
"It's a work in progress for any of these young guys," Coen said last week. "I think [defensive line], especially [interior defensive line], is one of the most difficult positions in the NFL to play young, to play early. You're 23 years old playing against a lot of grown men … [offensive] O-linemen are typically smart, savvy, tough, strong, those things. And so, you can get exposed a little bit in there, not just because of getting moved, but little details of technique and fundamentals that I think takes time."
Regis was in total agreement. He said the NFL is challenge in terms of speed of the game and the vast stores of knowledge required.
"I think just the intensity and how intentional everything is," he said. "That's something that I know now that I didn't know on my first day of training."
However, the 6-foot-1, 317-pounder said he's competed enough to know that he's up to the physical challenge.
"I know that for a fact," he said. "I can't remember when, but like it kind of just hit me … 'oh yeah, I can I can hang with them.' I can do this. It just all clicked; it all clicked one day. Since then, I haven't looked back."
Regis strengthened by faith, family
There are a number of fathers among Jaguars players, many of them "Girl Dads." After Jaguars practice, Regis joins his teammates in mingling with family on the practice field, including Akira and his wife.
One of the more heartwarming sights is Akira getting tossed in the air by her giant of a father.
"She's got no fear," he said.
Family has always been the center of Regis' life. His parents were immigrants from St. Lucia (his father and brother were accomplished soccer players) and he learned from them the value of faith, family and hard work.
Fate moved in a mysterious way. Regis initially committed to Minnesota but decided to stay in his home state of Texas. He also had offers from offers from Illinois, SMU, Tennessee, Texas Tech and TCU.
It was in College Station that he met his future wife Kaley in 2022 and unabashedly told her his goal was to get married sooner than later, if it felt right.
"I told her first time we talked I was going to marry," he said. "I knew what my intentions were, and I let her know it. God worked everything else out, and I loved it."
When Akira was born on June 12, 2025, Regis was still playing at Texas A&M (he started all 13 games last year). He ran onto Kyle Field on Senior Day holding her in his arms. His wife and daughter were with him when he impressed pro scouts at the Aggies' Pro Day and the NFL Combine.
As much as Regis wants to make it in the NFL, he said his main goal in life is guided by one principle when it comes to his daughter.
"Show your daughters the type of man they need to marry," he said. "Even when they're young, lead by example. Lead in the right way through the Lord."
Seems as if he's got the Girl Dad thing figured out. NFL football is soon to follow.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Albert Regis, his team chosen by his daughter, adjusting to NFL life
