Wagner was born on October 5, 1998, and grew up in
Spring Grove, Illinois. He attended
Richmond-Burton High School and was a consensus three-star recruit, being a starter for three seasons and being ranked the best player at his position in the state by
Scout.com. He committed to play
college football for the
Arkansas Razorbacks. In his first season at the school, 2017, he
redshirted. Wagner appeared in 11 games during the 2018 season before becoming a full-time starter in 2019. In the
COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he played eight games and was only given three
penalties. He partnered with
WWE by signing a
name, image and likeness (NIL) contract in December 2021. In 2022, Wagner returned to the team by using an extra year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19, and was named team
captain. He was invited to the
East–West Shrine Bowl after the season and finished his college career with 40 games started. ==Professional career==