Rashawn Slater grew up the son of NBA player Reggie Slater who played eight seasons across stints with the Nuggets, Raptors, and host of other franchises. He hails from Sugar Land, Texas and starred on both sides of the trenches for Clements High School. After a career that landed him a three-star prospect, Slater took his talents to Northwestern where he immediately earned a starting job for the Wildcats.
As one of 13 true freshman to see the field in 2017, Slater started all 12 games at right tackle. He was graded as the best freshman offensive lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus and was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman squad.