Stephon Tuitt
Tuitt with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 | |||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Miami, Florida | May 23, 1993||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 303 lb (137 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2016 | |||||||||
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Stephon Jakiel Tuitt (born May 23, 1993) is an American football defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.
High School
Tuitt attended Monroe Area High School in Monroe, Georgia. As a junior, he recorded 56 tackles, 24 for loss, including 10 sacks and four forced fumbles. In 2010, as a senior, he led Monroe Area to an 11-2 record and third-round appearance in the Georgia Class AAA state playoffs, after Monroe Area had finished a combined 0-20 the previous two seasons. His efforts led him to being selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
Rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 2nd best strongside defensive end in the nation, he accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over offers from Georgia Tech and Georgia.[1]
College career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Stephon_Tuitt_2013.jpg/150px-Stephon_Tuitt_2013.jpg)
As a freshman, Tuitt began his collegiate career by playing in 9 games, 3 in which he started. He recorded 30 tackles, including 3 for loss, and two sacks to go along with five quarterback hurries. He received Third-Team Freshman All-America honors by Phil Steele. In his sophomore season, he earned a starting position, and recorded 42 tackles, including 13 for loss, 12 sacks, nine quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and returned a 77-yard fumble for a touchdown against Navy. He earned second team All-American honours by the Associated Press.[2] As a junior, after dealing with the effects from off-season hernia surgery,[3] he totaled 49 total tackles, including nine for a loss, 7.5 sacks, forced a fumble and had a diving interception return for a TD against Michigan.
On January 5, 2014, he announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.[4]
- Career Statistics
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Fumbles | Blkd | ||||||||
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Solo | Ast | Total | TFL – Yds | No – Yds | Int – Yds | BU | PD | Qbh | Rcv – Yds | FF | Kick | Saf | |||
2011 | Notre Dame | 9 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 3.0 – 21 | 2.0 – 18 | 0 – 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 – 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | Notre Dame | 13 | 24 | 23 | 47 | 13.0 – 93 | 12.0 – 89 | 0 – 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 – 77 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
2013 | Notre Dame | 13 | 24 | 25 | 49 | 9.0 – 62 | 7.5 – 56 | 1 – 0 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 – 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 35 | 59 | 68 | 127 | 25.0 – 176 | 21.5 – 163 | 1 – 0 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 1 – 77 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Professional career
2014 NFL Draft
Due to his long frame, athleticism, and pass rush ability, Tuitt has received many comparisons among scouts to former New England Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour.[5] He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.[6]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.97 m) |
304 lb (138 kg) |
34+3⁄4 in (0.88 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
x s | x s | x s | x s | x s | x | x x | 31 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[7] |
Pittsburgh Steelers
On June 18, 2014, he signed his four-year rookie contract with the Steelers.[8] As a rookie in 2014, Tuitt played 16 games with 19 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. The Steelers finished the season with an 11-5 record to clinch an AFC North pennant, but lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card game by a score of 17-30. In 2015, Tuitt started 14 games with 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 pass defended. The Steelers finished 2015 with a 10-6 record for a wild card berth until losing to the Denver Broncos 16-23 in the divisional round.
In Week 11 of the 2016 season, Tuitt led the defense to a 24-9 victory over the Browns registering six tackles and 2.5 sacks, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[9]
References
- ^ Stephon Tuitt - Yahoo Sports
- ^ Tuitt Makes AP All-America Team
- ^ Tuitt still recovering from hernia
- ^ Notre Dame's Tuitt declares for NFL Draft
- ^ Rang: Scouts are comparing Tuitt to Seymour
- ^ NFL Draft 2014: Stephon Tuitt taken by Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 46
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/stephon-tuitt?id=2543483
- ^ STEELERS SIGN SECOND-ROUND DRAFT PICK DT TUITT TO CONTRACT
- ^ Lam, Quang M. (November 23, 2016). "Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins among Players of Week". NFL.com.