Jermaine Elliott Kelly Jr. (born February 26, 1995) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State and Washington. Kelly had 26 tackles and one fumble recovery as a junior. In 2017, he recorded 53 tackles, one sack and one interception. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.[1] Kelly has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers, BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Tampa Bay Bandits and Memphis Showboats.

Jermaine Kelly
refer to caption
Kelly with San Jose State in 2016
Personal information
Born: (1995-02-26) February 26, 1995 (age 29)
San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Salesian (Los Angeles, California)
College:San Jose State
Position:Cornerback
NFL draft:2018 / Round: 7 / Pick: 222
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years edit

Kelly was born in San Bernardino, California, and raised in Los Angeles.[2] While playing high school football at Salesian High School, Kelly was an ESPN three-star recruit who received offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Hawaii, Houston, Memphis, Minnesota, Northern Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah, UTEP, and Washington. On January 7, 2013, Kelly committed to play for Washington.[3]

College career edit

After his second year at the University of Washington, Kelly transferred to San Jose State. Kelly transferred due to family obligations and a history of injuries that prevented him from playing to his full potential.[4]

After redshirting the 2015 season, Kelly played for the San Jose State Spartans from 2016 to 2017. In 25 games, Kelly had 17 starts and made 79 tackles (one for loss), one interception, and 12 passes defended. His only interception was a 68-yard touchdown return in the September 23, 2017 game against Utah State, a 61–10 loss.[2][5]

Professional career edit

Houston Texans edit

Kelly was drafted by the Houston Texans in the seventh round, 222nd overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft.[6] He was placed on injured reserve on September 3, 2018.[7]

On August 16, 2019, Kelly was waived/injured by the Texans and placed on injured reserve.[8] He was waived on August 24.

San Francisco 49ers edit

On December 11, 2019, Kelly was signed to the practice squad of the San Francisco 49ers.[9] He re-signed with the 49ers on February 5, 2020.[10] He was waived on July 28, 2020.[11]

BC Lions edit

Kelly signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on March 11, 2021.[12] Kelly did not make an appearance for the Lions during the 2021 season.

Saskatchewan Roughriders edit

On April 28, 2022, Kelly signed with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders.[13] He was released on May 14, 2022.[14]

Tampa Bay Bandits edit

Kelly signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League on May 25, 2022.[15]

Memphis Showboats edit

Kelly and all other Bandits players were all transferred to the Memphis Showboats after it was announced that the Bandits were taking a hiatus and that the Showboats were joining the league.[16] He became a free agent after the 2023 season.

References edit

  1. ^ Texans pick San Jose State corner Jermaine Kelly in 7th round
  2. ^ a b "Jermaine Kelly". San Jose State Spartans. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "ESPN Recruiting Profile of Jermaine Kelly". ESPN. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Former UW CB Jermaine Kelly to Transfer to San Jose State". UW Dawg Pound. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "San Jose State loses to Utah State, 61-10". September 23, 2017. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Texans Select Jermaine Kelly With 222nd Pick". BattleRedBlog.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Wilson, Aaron (September 3, 2018). "Texans put Jermaine Kelly on IR, add Mike Tyson to practice squad". Chron.com.
  8. ^ "Texans claim CB Jermaine Ponder, waived-injured CB Jermaine Kelly Jr". HoustonTexans.com. August 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "49ers Sign CB Dontae Johnson and WR Jordan Matthews, Place C Weston Richburg on IR". 49ers.com. December 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "49ers Sign 14 Free Agents". 49ers.com. February 5, 2020.
  11. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Baker, Matt (March 11, 2021). "Lions add DBs Jermaine Kelly and Ajene Harris". BCLions.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  13. ^ TSN ca Staff (April 28, 2022). "Roughriders sign DB Kelly". TSN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Roughrider Transactions". Riderville.com. May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  15. ^ @USFLBandits (May 26, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Knight, Joey. "Tampa Bay Bandits won't play in United States Football League in 2023". tampabay.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

External links edit