Kilian Zierer

Kilian Zierer (born February 24, 2000) is a German professional American football offensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the College of the Canyons Cougars and Auburn Tigers.

Early life
Zierer was born on February 24, 2000, in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. He played soccer growing up before first watching American football on a visit to the U.S. at age 15. He decided to try out the sport at age 16, joining the Munich Cowboys and playing two seasons for their under-19 squad as a tight end and wide receiver. He then moved to the offensive line and played a season with the Allgäu Comets.

College career
After being offered an opportunity, Zierer choose to play college football in the U.S. for the College of the Canyons Cougars in 2018. In his first year, he was named all-conference at left tackle and helped the Cougars compile a record of 10–0 while being the champions of the SCFA National Division, Northern League. He became highly recruited afterwards and was ranked the best junior college recruit at his position by Rivals.com. He repeated as a all-conference left tackle and helped the Cougars win a second straight SCFA National Division, Northern League title.

Zierer committed to the Auburn Tigers. He had suffered a torn ACL towards the end of his second junior college season which resulted in him sitting out the 2020 season with Auburn. He began the 2021 season as a backup but eventually saw action as a starter. He ended the season with nine games played. He then started all 12 games as a senior in 2022. He was invited to the 2023 East–West Shrine Bowl.

Professional career
After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Zierer signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent. He was also selected in the second round (11th overall) of the 2023 CFL global draft by the Edmonton Elks. Although he performed well in training camp for the Texans, he suffered a sprained ankle in preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 24, 2023. On April 18, 2024, he was designated as the Texans' exempt/international player for the 2024 season as part of the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).