Miami Dolphins star Raheem Mostert is opening up on his decision to chase touchdowns over big waves ... telling TMZ Sports he left his pro surfing dreams behind to pursue a college education!!
For those who don't know, the NFL's rushing-scoring leader last season was a beast on the board back in the day ... in fact, he even had a sponsorship offer from Billabong when he was in his mid-teens.
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We caught up with Mostert at LAX this week about his first love .