Darius Shaquille Leonard was born on July 27,1995 and is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.
37 Facts About Shaquille Leonard
2.
Shaquille Leonard played college football at South Carolina State and was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Colts.
3.
Shaquille Leonard has been informally nicknamed "Maniac" due to his energetic and productive on-field play.
4.
Shaquille Leonard attended and played high school football at Lake View High School in Lake View, South Carolina.
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Shaquille Leonard led SCSU in tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2014, compiling 86,14 for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.
6.
Shaquille Leonard posted 70 stops the following year, 13.
7.
Shaquille Leonard had an impressive game against ACC powerhouse Clemson, totaling 19 tackles.
8.
Shaquille Leonard saved his best for last, as he posted career highs in total tackles and sacks as a senior while picking off two more passes and forcing one fumble.
9.
Shaquille Leonard won the MEAC defensive player of the year award again after the 2017 season.
10.
On November 20,2017, it was announced that Shaquille Leonard had accepted his invitation to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.
11.
Shaquille Leonard attended the NFL Scouting Combine, but was unable to complete all of his combine drills after injuring his quadriceps while running his 40-yard dash.
12.
Shaquille Leonard completed the bench press, 40-yard dash, 20-yard dash, and 10-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
13.
On March 20,2018, Shaquille Leonard participated at South Carolina State's pro day and performed the rest of his combine drills.
14.
Shaquille Leonard was ranked as the sixth best inside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
15.
On July 23,2018, Shaquille Leonard signed a four-year, $7.24 million contract that included $4.16 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.35 million.
16.
Shaquille Leonard entered training camp slated as the starting weakside linebacker.
17.
Head coach Frank Reich named Shaquille Leonard the starting weakside linebacker to start the regular season in 2018, alongside Najee Goode and middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.
18.
On October 4,2018, after totaling 54 combined tackles and four sacks in September, Shaquille Leonard was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month.
19.
Shaquille Leonard was inactive for the Colts' Week 5 loss at the New England Patriots due to an ankle injury he sustained the previous week.
20.
Shaquille Leonard intercepted a pass by Titans' backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, that was intended for wide receiver Tajae Sharpe, and returned it for a ten-yard gain during the third quarter.
21.
Shaquille Leonard finished his rookie season in 2018 with 163 combined tackles, eight pass deflections, seven sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts.
22.
Shaquille Leonard recorded the most tackles among all players as a rookie in 2018.
23.
Shaquille Leonard received an overall grade of 80.3 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked ninth among all linebackers in 2018.
24.
Shaquille Leonard made his return in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.
25.
Shaquille Leonard became the first NFL player since 1982 to have 10-plus sacks and five-plus interceptions in his first 25 games.
26.
Shaquille Leonard was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
27.
Shaquille Leonard has the most total All-Pro selections and the most First Team All-Pro selections by a linebacker in Colts history.
28.
Shaquille Leonard was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.
29.
Shaquille Leonard missed the first three weeks of the season while recovering from offseason back surgery.
30.
Shaquille Leonard returned in Week 4, and suffered a concussion and broken nose in the game, missing the next three games.
31.
Shaquille Leonard suffered a setback in his back injury leading up to Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on November 12,2022.
32.
Shaquille Leonard is one of nine children to a single mother.
33.
Shaquille Leonard is the younger brother to former NFL player Anthony Waters.
34.
On November 11,2017, Shaquille Leonard proposed to his girlfriend Kayla, whom he had known since kindergarten, after SC State beat Hampton.
35.
In December 2018, Shaquille Leonard announced the couple was expecting a baby girl.
36.
Shaquille Leonard appeared on the July 12,2020 episode of Celebrity Family Feud in which the NFL rising stars took on retired NFL Hall of Famers, which included players such as Michael Irvin and Cris Carter.
37.
On July 26,2022, at the Colts' training camp, Leonard told reporters how he now requested to be called by his middle name, Shaquille, rather than his given first name, Darius.