Leon O'Neal Jr. (born December 23, 1998) is an American professional football defensive back who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M. He has been a member of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL), the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks of the CFL, and the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL).
 O'Neal with the Edmonton Elks in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | December 23, 1998 Cypress, Texas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 204 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Cypress Springs (Cypress) |
| College: | Texas A&M (2018–2021) |
| Position: | Defensive back |
| Undrafted: | 2022 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life
editO'Neal played high school football at Cypress Springs High School in Cypress, Texas.[1][2] He recorded 78 tackles, five forced fumbles, and four pass breakups his senior year.[1] He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[3]
College career
editO'Neal played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies from 2018 to 2021.[1][4][5] He played in all 13 games his freshman year in 2018, totaling 14 tackles, one interception and one pass breakup.[1] He appeared in all 13 games, starting 10, in 2019, accumulating 41 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups. O'Neal started all 10 games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, recording 48 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups.[1] He started all 12 games during his senior season in 2021, totaling a career-high 58 tackles, one sack, five pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions, one of which was returned 85 yards for a touchdown.[1]
Overall, he recorded 161 tackles, one sack, six interceptions, 12 pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown during his college career.[6]
Professional career
edit| 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 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
204 lb (93 kg) |
31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.71 s | 1.65 s | 2.71 s | 4.22 s | 6.83 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
15 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft, O'Neal signed with the San Francisco 49ers on May 13, 2022.[9][10][11] He was waived/injured on August 10 and reverted to injured reserve the next day. He was waived from injured reserve on August 12, 2024.[10]
Saskatchewan Roughriders
editO'Neal was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on February 13, 2023. He was released on June 4, 2023.[10]
Massachusetts Pirates
editAfter being released by the Roughriders, O'Neal played for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL). On July 2, 2023, he entered the crowd to confont a fan.[12] He was suspended indefinitely by the IFL the next day.[13]
Edmonton Elks
editO'Neal signed with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL on January 17, 2024.[10] He was released on September 23, 2024.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Leon O'Neal Jr". 12thman.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Holland, EJ (February 5, 2018). "Four-star DB Leon O'Neal Jr. recommits to Texas A&M". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Texas A&M commit Leon O'Neal Jr. celebrates U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection". USA Today. November 3, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Alex (March 2, 2020). "Texas A&M safety Leon O'Neal not officially in transfer portal". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Underwood, Hannah (July 1, 2020). "10 things to know about Texas A&M S Leon O'Neal Jr., including the origin of his #WakeEmUp social media campaign". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Leon O'Neal Jr". sports-reference.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Leon O'Neal Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Leon O'Neal Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ May 1, 2022. "49ers rookie safety Leon O'Neal Jr. on going undrafted: 'I will never, ever forget the names they called'". profootballnetwork.com. pp. Wilson, Aaron. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "Leon O'Neal". Footballdb.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Dimmitt, Zach (April 30, 2022). "Aggies DB Leon O'Neal Jr. Signs Undrafted Free Agent Deal With 49ers". si.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Cole (July 6, 2023). "Aggies Ex-DB Leon O'Neal Suspended By Indoor Football League". si.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "STATEMENT FROM THE COMMISSIONER". goifl.com. July 3, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "ELKS RELEASE LEON O'NEAL JR". goelks.com. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.