Sean Tucker (American football)
![]() Tucker with the Buccaneers in 2023 | |||||||||
No. 44 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Owings Mills, Maryland, U.S. | October 25, 2001||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Calvert Hall (Towson, Maryland) | ||||||||
College: | Syracuse (2020–2022) | ||||||||
Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Sean Lance Tucker (born October 25, 2001) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buccaneers after the 2023 NFL draft.
Early years
[edit]Tucker was born on October 25, 2001, in Owings Mills, Maryland. He attended Calvert Hall in Towson, Maryland,[1][2] where he played football and also ran track.[3][4] Considered one of the top running back prospects in Maryland by ESPN (#14), 247Sports (#27, rated three-star[5]) and Rivals (#27), Tucker was recruited by Syracuse assistant coach Reno Ferri.[6]
College career
[edit]2020
[edit]As a freshman in 2020, Tucker was named Syracuse's starting running back four games into the season following a rash of injuries and opt-outs due to COVID-19 pandemic. He ran for the third-most yards (626 yards) and the second-most yards per game (69.9) in a single season by an Syracuse Orange freshman ever. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Running Back of the Week twice and led all freshmen running backs in the ACC in rushing yards per game.
2021
[edit]During the breakout 2021 season, Tucker totaled 1,496 rushing yards during the 2021 regular season, fourth best among all Division I FBS players.[7] He became the first player in program history to rush for over 1,000 yards in eight games or less and set the program record for most 100-yard games in a season (8) and most consecutive 100 yards games at 7. He broke Joe Morris's 42-year record for Syracuse's most single-season rushing yards in game against NC State. In addition to breaking this record set in 1979, Tucker also overtook Syracuse greats such as Floyd Little, Walter Reyes, and Larry Csonka.[8][9] In the game against Albany, Tucker had a combined 253 yards (132 rushing, 121 receiving) and five touchdowns, becoming the first player in program history to have both 100+ rushing yards and 100+ receiving yards.[10] Tucker surpassed 1,000-yard mark in win over Virginia Tech.[5] Against Boston College, he amassed a career-high 207 rushing yards.[11]
Tucker was named to the Associated Press midseason All-America first team.[12] ESPN college football analyst Trevor Matich named Tucker one of four candidates for the Heisman Trophy.[13] He was the semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award as well as the Maxwell Award.[14][15] Tucker was named the ACC Running Back of the Week multiple times.[16]
Tucker was named to first-team All-ACC,[17] first-team All-American by Football Writers Association of America, ESPN and second-team All-American by the Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, and American Football Coaches Association.[18][19][20][21][22]
Statistics
[edit]Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
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GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |
Syracuse Orange | ||||||||||
2020 | 9 | 5 | 137 | 626 | 4.8 | 4 | 8 | 113 | 14.1 | 0 |
2021 | 12 | 12 | 246 | 1,496 | 6.1 | 12 | 20 | 255 | 12.8 | 2 |
2022 | 12 | 12 | 206 | 1,060 | 5.1 | 11 | 36 | 254 | 7.1 | 2 |
Career | 33 | 29 | 589 | 3,182 | 5.4 | 27 | 64 | 622 | 9.7 | 4 |
Professional career
[edit]Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 9+1⁄4 in (1.76 m) |
207 lb (94 kg) |
30 in (0.76 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
All values from the NFL Combine[23][24] |
After going undrafted in 2023 NFL draft, Tucker signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2023.[25][26] On August 29, 2023, the Buccaneers announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster.[27] In Week 1 of the 2023 season Tucker saw action against the Minnesota Vikings having 5 carries for 15 yards and 2 receptions for 9 yards.
References
[edit]- ^ Lee, Edward (November 3, 2021). "Syracuse RB Sean Tucker, a Calvert Hall graduate, emerging as Heisman Trophy candidate: 'I hold myself to high standards'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ O'Brien, Henry (October 26, 2023). "Sean Tucker, Marlowe Wax battled it out on the gridiron in high school". The Daily Orange. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Fernandez, Roshan (September 22, 2021). "Track shaped Sean Tucker's speed. Now, his goal is to compete on SU's team". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "High school track molded Sean Tucker into the star running back he is today". The Daily Orange. October 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Kekis, John (October 27, 2021). "Syracuse's 1-2 punch of Tucker and Shrader tough to stop". Associated Press. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Nate (November 28, 2021). "Syracuse football staff changes begin, with 2 assistant coaches out". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "College Football Player Rushing Stats 2021". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Nate (November 20, 2021). "Tucker breaks Morris's record for most rushing yards in a season". The Post-Standard. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Fernandez, Roshan (November 20, 2021). "Sean Tucker breaks 42-year record for SU's most single-season rushing yards". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Syracuse's Sean Tucker powers Orange to win over Albany". Local SYR.com. September 18, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ Vasudevan, Anish (November 2, 2021). "Film Review: Behind Sean Tucker's career-high 207-yard performance". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Young, Davis headline AP Midseason All-America Team". Associated Press. October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ McAllister, Mike (October 24, 2021). "ESPN Analyst Lists Sean Tucker as Heisman Contender". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Doak Walker Award Candidates". SMU.edu. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Bailey, Stephen (November 1, 2021). "Syracuse's Sean Tucker named 1 of 15 semifinalists for Maxwell Award, given annually to nation's top player". CuseNation.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Fernandez, Roshan (October 18, 2021). "Sean Tucker wins ACC Running Back of the Week for 2nd straight week". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Pitt Leads with 12 on All-ACC Football Teams". Atlantic Coast Conference (Press release). November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Nate (December 10, 2021). "Syracuse's Sean Tucker earns another All-America honor. This time he's on the first team". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (December 8, 2021). "The 2021 college football All-America team". ESPN. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Russo, Ralph D. (December 13, 2021). "AP All-America team: Young and Tide lead with 3 1st teamers". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Nate (December 9, 2021). "Sean Tucker is Syracuse football's first running back to earn All-America honors since Floyd Little". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Nate (December 13, 2021). "Tucker named second-team All-American by the AP". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Sean Tucker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Sean Tucker College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Leiker, Emily (April 30, 2023). "Sean Tucker, SU's record-breaking RB, signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going undrafted in 2023 NFL Draft". Syracuse Post-Standard. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ McAllister, Mike (April 29, 2023). "Sean Tucker Goes Undrafted". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Scott (August 29, 2023). "Bucs Go Heavy on Front Seven in Initial 53-Man Roster". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
External links
[edit]- 2001 births
- Living people
- American football running backs
- People from Owings Mills, Maryland
- Players of American football from Baltimore County, Maryland
- Syracuse Orange football players
- All-American college football players
- Calvert Hall College High School alumni
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople