Thursday Apr 17, 2025

Dillon Salva: From College Athlete to Rap Stars’ Bodyguard & Netflix Actor

In this episode, we sit down with Dillon Salva—a former college football and basketball player who turned rejection from the NFL into a springboard for something bigger. Dillon shares his wild journey from crushing tackles to guarding Fetty Wap and Kevin Gates, training in Hollywood gyms, and landing a spot on Netflix’s Running Point.

You’ll hear about nightclub shootouts, touring with rappers, transforming his body through bodybuilding, and the resilience that kept him going when everything else fell apart.

Highlights include:

• How a college coach broke his confidence—and built it back
• Getting scouted by the Patriots without knowing it
• The insane story of becoming Fetty Wap’s trainer
• A baby mistaking Kevin Gates for a mom (!?)
• What it’s like to witness a shooting on tour

Stick around—this one is packed with unbelievable moments and serious inspiration.

Timestamps:

00:00 Show Intro
02:27 Family of Athletes: Records and Recruits
04:02 Early Lifting & Athletic Development
07:04 High School Transfers and Position Changes
10:09 Switching from QB to Tight End
13:18 New Coach, New Opportunities
14:47 Almost Playing in the SEC
17:04 Academic Struggles and Lost Scholarships
18:19 College Football at Kean & Injury Setbacks
21:00 Getting Moved Between Four Positions
22:02 Kicked Off Basketball Team After Spitting Incident
25:06 Brookdale Year and JUCO Hoops Success
27:19 Why Dillon Chose Merrimack
30:07 Coach Curran’s Tough Love Moment
34:03 NFL Interest, Patriots Scout Mention
36:11 Pro Days, Falcons & Redskins Tryouts
39:08 How He Met Jack Silva
41:11 CBD Line & Move to California
44:45 Meeting Jay Cutler & Larry Wheels
46:04 How Fetty Wap Found Him on Instagram
50:06 From Training Fetty to Being His Bodyguard
52:11 Wild Nights at Miami Swim Week
54:52 “Would You Take a Bullet?”
58:42 Witnessing Shootings on Tour
1:02:00 Meeting Kevin Gates at a Miami Club
1:06:50 Kevin Offers Bodyguard Job After Fetty’s Arrest
1:13:14 Why Kevin Gates is a Fitness Monster
1:15:03 Origin of the Nickname “Scutty”
1:16:12 Netflix Role in *Running Point*
1:18:42 His Acting Goals and SAG Eligibility
1:29:01 Prepping for Pro Card in Bodybuilding
1:32:00 Cheat Meals, Five Guys vs In-N-Out
1:34:00 Where He Hopes to Be at 40

Links & Mentions:

🎥 Dillon’s Instagram
📺 Watch Running Point on Netflix
💪 Team Personal Record (Larry Wheels’ Brand)
🎤 Kevin Gates Tour Info

Dillon Salva: From College Athlete to Rap Stars’ Bodyguard & Netflix Actor

Comments (0)