Fano, Styles brothers take sibling rivalries to NFL scouting combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Spencer and Logan Fano began their football careers like so many other brothers — roughhousing in their parents' backyard.

They pushed, shoved, wrestled and even boxed.

Eventually, the future linemen found better ways to display their physicality.

They learned the fundamentals of blocking and pass rushing, polished their techniques and challenged one another as teammates through pee-wee football, prep ball at Timpview High School and even through their final three college seasons at Utah.

So when they were ready to leave school for the NFL, naturally, they did it with a joint statement knowing they may one day be squaring off as opponents for the first time.

Let the sibling rivalry begin.

“Domination — on my part,” All-American tackle Spencer Fano joked when asked at this week's NFL scouting combine about the result against his older brother.

Whether Spencer, the 2025 Outland Trophy winner, lives up to such trash-talking remains to be seen after each Fano brother spent the week answering questions and trying to impress NFL scouts.

The fact they were both among the 319 invitees is hardly a surprise.

Aside from the fact that Spencer Fano is an offensive tackle and Logan is considered an edge rusher, these two have been nearly inseparable except for the one season Logan spent at Brigham Young. He didn't play that year because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament and then was quickly reunited with his younger brother after announcing in December 2022 he would transfer to Utah.

The next day, Spencer announced he, too, would play for the Utes.

Their decisions meant Logan would spend three more years squaring off against one of two tackles now projected to go in the first round of this year's draft, Caleb Lomu or his younger brother. And soon the grudge matches that once took place in the backyard were now occurring under the watchful eyes of Utah's coaching staff.

Even scouts wanted to know how those skirmishes went.

“I think the most off the wall question I've gotten from a lot of teams is who would win in a fight?” Logan Fano said. “Things just get super competitive. It's fun.”

It's not just the Fanos bringing some brotherly love to the combine, either. Three years ago, identical twins Chase and Sydney Brown were the featured family in Indianapolis. This year, it's the Fanos — and the Styles.

Sonny Styles is expected to be one of the top linebackers selected in April while his older brother, Lorenzo Jr., the namesake of his Super Bowl-winning father, turned heads Friday night with a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, the best of any safety who worked out in Indianapolis.

Like the Fanos, the Styles brothers were separated briefly in college when Lorenzo Jr. opted to spend his first two college seasons at Notre Dame. He transferred to Ohio State in 2023 and celebrated the Buckeyes' 2024 national championship with his younger brother.

But while the competition on the field and to go first in the draft is real, the Styles brothers also know there's more to life than bragging rights at the dinner table.

“We had a lot of different memories together,” Lorenzo Jr. said. "The one in particular that pops up is I had a kickoff return for a touchdown. I came to the sideline, and he was right there for me. Seeing my little brother, how proud he was of me, it was amazing.”

It's not just a combine thing, either.

At Indiana, there was no bigger fan of backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza than his older, Heisman Trophy-winning brother, Fernando.

The same could be said of Purdue tight end Luke Klare in 2024 when his older brother, Max, played so well Ohio State asked him to join the program in 2025. Nearly half a dozen players at the combine, including Fernando Mendoza and Max Klare, played at least one college season with a sibling.

And the family ties and family competitions even extend beyond the college ranks. Just ask Caleb Downs, the top-rated safety in the draft class whose older brother, Josh, plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

“Really, just my brother,” the younger Downs said when asked who he wants to line up against in the NFL.

The Downs and Fanos have one thing in common — one child who played offense, the other defense — meaning they never took a play off. Now both families could be facing a new challenge, deciding which son's game to attend.

For now, though, the Fanos are content to savor the moment and reflect on the unique journeys they've followed to the NFL.

“It was awesome,” Spencer Fano said as he spoke about spending time with his older brother in Indy. “He ended up leaving (Saturday), but it was special to be here with my brother. It was really special.”