When Laremy Tunsil was in middle school, he jotted down some life goals on a piece of paper and stuck it to his bedroom wall in Lake City, Florida.
"It was stuff about college and getting drafted, all that stuff," Tunsil said.
Over a decade later, he can now check off one of those childhood goals after being named to his first NFL Pro Bowl.
"It's been a goal since I was a kid, being a Pro Bowler, and I achieved it," Tunsil said. "There's always more goals to be achieved and I want to be in as many Pro Bowls as a I can so I keep putting hard work in, keep going."
The NFL announced the 2020 Pro Bowl roster on Tuesday. Tunsil said he heard the news from head coach Bill O'Brien. But for now, Tunsil says he has more on the horizon. He hasn't played in a postseason game since his rookie campaign with the Miami Dolphins in 2016. Tunsil's immediate goal is to help the Texans secure a division title and playoff berth with a win at Tampa Bay.
"Feels great, man," Tunsil said. "We got to take care of business this Saturday and then the rest will speak for itself."
The Texans traded for the fourth-year left tackle on September 1, just before the start of the regular season to help protect Deshaun Watson's blindside. With Tunsil anchoring the left side, Houston's offensive line has paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in Carlos Hyde, and allowed one-or-less sacks in five games this season. Houston is 5-0 in those games. The Texans also allowed just seven sacks in Weeks 5-9, which tied for the second-fewest in the NFL over that span.
Tunsil gave credit to his teammates for his first Pro Bowl nod.
"I think the team helped me," Tunsil said. "I want to say Deshaun, Hop (DeAndre Hopkins), just having some of that star power on the team, I think it helped me get more exposure. I got to thank them guys for sure."
The Texans had three players named to the 2020 Pro Bowl: Tunsil, Watson and Hopkins. Five players were selected as alternates: Whitney Mercilus, D.J. Reader, Jon Weeks, Nick Martin and Zach Cunningham.
The 2020 Pro Bowl will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 26, 2020.
