Tyrann Mathieu
 Mathieu in 2013 training camp. | |||||||||
| No. 32 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||
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| Position: | Free Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | May 13, 1992 New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | LSU | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2013 / round: 3 / pick: 69 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2014 | |||||||||
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Tyrann Devine Mathieu (pronounced /ˈtaɪrən ˈmæθjuː/ TY-rən MATH-a-ew; born May 13, 1992) is an American football free safety and cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU). Following his 2011 college season during which he was recognized as a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU Tigers football program.[1] He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Early years
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mathieu attended St. Augustine High School, where he played for the St. Augustine Purple Knights high school football team. He recorded 32 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery as a senior, and was a participant in the inaugural Team USA vs. The World game.
Mathieu also ran track and field for St. Augustin's track team and was a member of the relay team. He was one of the state's top performers in the long jump. He had personal-best leaps of 1.93 meters in the high jump and 7.29 meters in the long jump.[2]
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com,[3] Mathieu was listed as the No. 13 cornerback in the nation in 2010.[4]
College career
Mathieu received an athletic scholarship to attend Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles' LSU Tigers football team from 2010 to 2011.
2010 season
As a true freshman in 2010, Mathieu played in all 13 games with one start. He finished the season with 59 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. He was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the 2011 Cotton Bowl Classic after he recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, one sack and one pass breakup.[5]
2011 season
At the end of the 2011 regular season, Mathieu had 77 total tackles (60 solo and 17 assists), 1.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries (2 returned for a touchdown), and 2 interceptions.[6] On special teams, Mathieu had 26 punt returns for 420 yards, with 2 returned for a touchdown.[7] On October 19, 2011, Mathieu was suspended for one game following a violation of LSU's drug policy.[8] Mathieu was named the most valuable player of the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Mathieu earned the nickname "The Honey Badger" for his tenacious ability to play extremely tough football against much larger opponents, as well as his knack for making big plays.[9] This led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist. On December 8, 2011, Mathieu was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the year's best defensive player in college football. This marked the second straight year a LSU defensive player won the nation's top defensive honor following Patrick Peterson, who also wore number 7, in 2010.
2012 season
On August 10, 2012, LSU coach Les Miles announced that Mathieu would be dismissed from the football team due to a violation of team rules. News outlets reported that the dismissal was a result of repeated drug test failures, although Miles did not confirm those reports.[10] Mathieu had formerly expressed an interest in returning to the program for the 2013 season.[11] On August 17, 2012, Mathieu withdrew from LSU and entered a drug rehabilitation program in Houston, Texas.[1] Mathieu's withdrawal was expected to last for the entire 2012-2013 academic year. However, on September 4, 2012, Mathieu ended his withdrawal and enrolled for fall semester classes. On October 25, 2012, Mathieu and three other LSU former players were arrested on possession of marijuana.[12]
On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Mathieu would enter the NFL Draft.[13] Mathieu participated at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine on February 26, 2013. He ran a 4.50 40 Yard Dash, had 4 reps of 225 pounds, a 34 inch vertical, and a 117 inch broad jump.[14] Tyrann would also later participate at his pro day on March 27, 2013.[15]
College career statistics
| Year | GP | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Fumbles | Blocked | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | Loss–Yards | No–Yards | Int–Yards | BU | PD | QBH | Rcv–Yards-TD | FF | Kick | ||
| 2010 | 13 | 36 | 23 | 59 | 8.5–45 | 4.5–38 | 2–0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2–13-0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011 | 13 | 60 | 17 | 77 | 7.5–45 | 1.5–10 | 2–16 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 4–39-2 | 6 | 0 |
Professional career
2013 NFL Draft
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 8+3⁄4 | 186 lb (84 kg) |
31+1⁄8 | 9+3⁄8 | 4.51 s | 1.53 s | 2.56 s | 4.14 s | 6.87 s | 34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
4 reps | |
| All values from NFL combine.[14] | ||||||||||||
On April 26, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals selected Mathieu with the 69th overall pick in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
There was a statement from Cardinals' head coach Bruce Arians that Mathieu would be playing Free Safety.[17]
Mathieu stated that he would remove himself from any association with his nickname, saying that he wants to be known as "Tyrann Mathieu" as opposed to "Honey Badger".[18]
2013
In a Week 1 loss to the St. Louis Rams, Mathieu forced a fumble on tight end Jared Cook Jr. by knocking the ball out of his hand just before he entered the endzone allowing one of his teammates to recover the football. In a Week 2 win against the Lions, Mathieu made the game winning tackle when he stopped Nate Burleson short on 4th and 4.[19] In the Week 3 loss against the New Orleans Saints, Mathieu intercepted a Drew Brees endzone pass for his first career interception.[20] On December 8, Mathieu tore both his ACL and LCL in a victory over the St. Louis Rams. On December 10, he was placed on the injured reserve, officially ending his rookie season.[21]
References
- ^ a b "Tyrann Mathieu in rehab center". ESPN. August 17, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ [1]
- ^ Tyrann Mathieu Recruiting Profile
- ^ Rivals.com cornerbacks 2010
- ^ "Felix McKnight Trophy Winner — Defensive Back Tyrann Mathieu". AT&T Cotton Bowl. January 8, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Tryann Mathieu Stats". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Individual Punt Returning Leaders, Fox Sports, December 4, 2011. [dead link]
- ^ Brett Martel (October 19, 2011). "Tyrann Mathieu Suspended: LSU Suspends Star Cornerback For Auburn Game". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Chris Low (October 15, 2011). "Tyrann Mathieu talks a good game". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Kleinpeter, Jim (10 August 2012). "LSU's Tyrann Mathieu dismissed for failed drug test, source says". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ^ David Helman (August 14, 2012). "Les Miles discusses Tyrann Mathieu". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Tyrann Mathieu enrolls at LSU". ESPN. September 4, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Joe Schad (November 29, 2012). "Tyrann Mathieu to enter NFL draft". ESPN. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Tyrann Mathieu Combine Profile". National Football League. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Copeland, Kareem (November 29, 2012). "Tyrann Mathieu, 'Honey Badger,' eyes 2013 NFL Draft". National Football League. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ "Tyrann Mathieu". College Football. Sports-Reference. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Mike Florio (April 26, 2013). "Mathieu will play free safety for Cardinals". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu making life-style changes". NFL AM. National Football League. May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Arizona Cardinals clinch victory". NFL.com. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ "Tyrann Mathieu hauls in first regular season interception". NBC. NBCsports. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^ Twitter / AZCardinals: The #AZCardinals have placed safety @Mathieu_Era on IR and have elevated safety Curtis Taylor from practice squad to the active roster.