Born in Holywood, County Down,[1] he attended Sullivan Upper School, where he initially played prop, before converting to lock.
[3] He missed out on a place in the Ulster academy when he left school, instead going to Trinity College Dublin to study Management Science and Information Systems.
He played rugby for Dublin University in the All-Ireland League, and stayed in touch with Ulster academy coach Kieran Campbell, including sending him videos of his performances.
[3] For the 2022–23 academic year he received a Trevor West Scholarship for exceptional contribution to sport at Trinity College.
[6] He made his senior Ulster debut off the bench in January 2023 in the Champions Cup against La Rochelle, replacing Iain Henderson,[7] before making his first start at home against Sale Sharks.