Vernon Gholston
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| New York Jets — No. 50 | |
| Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: June 5, 1986 | |
| Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan | |
| Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | Weight: 264 lb (120 kg) |
| Professional debut | |
|---|---|
| 2008 for the New York Jets | |
| Career history | |
| College: Ohio State | |
| NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | |
Teams:
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2008 NFL season) |
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| Tackles | 13 |
| Sacks | 0.0 |
| INTs | 0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Vernon Gholston (born June 5, 1986 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football linebacker for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted sixth overall by the Jets in the 2008 NFL Draft.
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[edit] Early years
Gholston attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit. As a senior, he was an All-State honoree as an offensive guard while racking up 75 tackles and six sacks on defense. Gholston, whose father was deceased, was mentored by Thomas Wilcher.[1] Gholston's mother's name is Cheryl Gholston.[2] Gholston played did not play (at linebacker) until his senior year.[3] Interested in bodybuilding and working out, he bought fitness magazines and worked out in his basement before he was a teenager.[4]
[edit] College career
Gholston redshirted in 2005 after suffering a broken left hand in the season opener. In his freshman season he played defensive end, though recruited as a linebacker. He eventually moved up to the number 2 spot behind Mike Kudla.
In 2006 he earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors from both the league's coaches and the media while starting 13 games. Gholston had 49 tackles and his 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, which led the team, included 7.5 quarterback sacks, ranked second on the team. He also intercepted his first pass in the win over Bowling Green.
On November 3, 2007, Gholston tied two Ohio State team records for quarterback sacks in a game when he dropped Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Donovan four times for a total loss of 32 yards. Two weeks later he recorded three sacks against the Michigan Wolverines to lead Ohio State to its fourth consecutive win over the Wolverines. During the 2007 season Gholston recorded 37 tackles (15.5 for a loss) and set a school record with 14.5 sacks in 13 games, breaking the former record of 13 sacks in a single season set in 1995 by Mike Vrabel.[5] He was named All-America by Pro Football Weekly and was First-team All-Big Ten.
During his tenure at Ohio State, Gholston started 25 games. He finished with 87 tackles (47 solo) and 30.5 stops for a loss. He also had 22.5 sacks, which ranks fifth in school history.
[edit] Awards and honors
National
- 2007 College Football All-America Team (Pro Football Weekly)
- 2007 watch-list candidate for Chuck Bednarik Award
- 2007 watch-list candidate for Ted Hendricks Award
Conference
- 2007 Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year (coaches)
- 2007 All-Big Ten Conference First-Team (coaches and media)
- 2006 All-Big Ten Conference Second-Team (coaches and media)
[edit] Professional career
[edit] 2008 NFL Draft
Gholston declared for the 2008 NFL Draft and was projected as a top 10 pick. He tied the highest bench press score at the NFL combine with 37 repetitions at 225 pounds (102 kg; 16.1 st).[6] Gholston is one of two players to record a quarterback sack against two-time consensus All-American and 2008 NFL Draft number one overall selection Jake Long in Long's NCAA career.[6] Gholston was invited to attend the 2008 NFL Draft in New York. He drew comparisons to Kalimba Edwards.[7]
| Pre-draft measureables | ||||||||||
| Ht | Wt | 40-yard dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20 ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-3 * | 266 lb * | 4.58 ** | 1.53 * | 2.63 ** | 4.40 * | 7.12 * | 42 in.** | 10'5" * | 37 * | 21 * |
(* represents NFL Combine, ** represents Ohio State Pro Day March 7, 2008.) [8]
[edit] New York Jets
Gholston was drafted by the New York Jets sixth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.[11] He was expected to play outside linebacker in the Jets' 3-4 defense with the Jets citing his speed, strength and “long limbs,” believing they had found the perfect outside pass rusher for their defense.[12][9] Gholston agreed to terms on a 5-year, $50 million contract (with $21 million in guaranteed money) with the Jets on July 24.
Gholston's rookie season was disappointing. He did not start in any games, and of 13 total tackles, only 5 were made solely by Gholston.
After struggling to adjust to coach Eric Mangini's 3-4 defensive scheme, he began working with three-time defensive player of the year and 1986 NFL MVP Lawrence Taylor.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Harris, Doug (2008-01-06). "From gentle giant to OSU star". Cox Ohio Publishing and Cox Sports TV. http://www.osulsu.com/s/content/oh/osu-lsu/story.html/sports/college/osu/2008/01/05/ddn010608gholston. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
- ^ Stein, Leland (2007-11-29). "DEMOLITIO MAN Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston: A one-man wrecking crew". Michigan Chronicle Online. http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2110/1/DEMOLITIO-MAN-Ohio-States-Vernon-Gholston-A-one-man-wrecking-crew/Page1.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
- ^ Spencer, Jon (2007-11-06). "Gholston showing he is a beast". Newark Advocate. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711060348. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Lloyd, Jason (2007-11-15). "End is sculpting his NFL potential". News-Herald. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19025445&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21848&rfi=6. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
- ^ "Defensive notes". Ohio State University Athletic Department. http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=87743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1321125. Retrieved on 18 November 2007.
- ^ a b Cabot, Mary Kay (2008-02-25). "Buckeyes DE Vernon Gholston turns heads at Combine". www.browns247.com. http://www.browns247.com/content/view/1156/1/. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ "Pro Football War Room: Vernon Gholston Profile". SportingNews.com. http://warroom.sportingnews.com/nfl/draft/2008/players/7888.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.
- ^ Dagger (2008-02-29). "2008 NFL Combine Results GHolston". NFL Fanhouse. http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2008/02/25/vernon-gholston-gets-37-bench-press-reps-4-64-second-40-yard-da/. Retrieved on 2009-04-19.
- ^ a b Bishop, Greg (2008-04-27). "Jets Pick Two From the Big Ten, and One’s a Big Surprise". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/sports/football/27jets.html.
- ^ NFL Draft Scout.com
- ^ Allen, Eric (2008-04-26). "Gholston a Jet". http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/2154-gholston-a-jet. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ AP.com
- ^ Glazer, Jay (2008-11-02). "Gholston looks to LT for help". FOX Sports. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8748640/Glazer:-Gholston-looks-to-LT-for-help.
[edit] External links
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