Grant Stuard
 Stuard in college at Houston in 2019 | |||||||
| No. 41 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 15, 1998 Conroe, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Oak Ridge (Conroe) | ||||||
| College: | Houston (2017–2020) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 7 / pick: 259 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Grant Stuard (born October 15, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the final pick in the 2021 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant.
Early life
Stuard helped take care of his four siblings while growing up, as his mother battled a drug addiction and his father spent time in prison.[1]
College career
Stuard played four years with the University of Houston, primarily as a linebacker, although he also played some running back.
In the 2017 season his freshman season he played in 7 games before missing 4 games and the 2017 Hawaii Bowl due to a torn meniscus. He recorded 2 assisted tackles both against Rice University. In the 2018 season Stuard played 13 games and had 1 start. He led the 2018 Houston Cougars football team with 11 special teams tackles. He also played running back late in the year. He had 5 attempts and 35 yards running the ball, along with 30 tackles, 18 solo and 12 assisted. In the 2019 season Stuard started all 12 games. He had 97 tackles which led the team and had 9.5 tackles for loss good for third in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). He had 1 sack and 4 pass deflections. Stuard was named to the 2019 All-AAC Second-team. In the 2020 season he was a team captain for his senior year and led the Cougars in tackles: he made 61 total tackles (including 35 solo tackles) in a COVID-shortened 7-game regular season. He led the AAC in tackles per game with 8.4 tackles/game. For his senior season, he changed his uniform number from 3 to 0.[2]
Stuard skipped the 2020 New Mexico Bowl to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
29+1⁄2 in (0.75 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
28 reps | ||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[3][4][5] | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Stuard with the final pick (259th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant.[6][7] Stuard signed his four-year rookie contract with Tampa Bay on May 13, 2021.[8]
Indianapolis Colts
On August 30, 2022, Stuard and a seventh-round pick were traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth-round pick.[9] On December 3, 2023, Stuard scored his first NFL touchdown on an 18-yard blocked punt return during the Colts' overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans.[10] On October 20, 2024, Stuard made his first NFL start and had a team-leading 19 tackles in a win against the Miami Dolphins.[11]
In the media
Stuard appeared in a television advertisement for Uber Eats during his rookie season; the ad humorously referenced his Mr. Irrelevant status by cutting him off as he is about to say his own name.[12]
References
- ^ Laine, Jenna (May 1, 2021). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers make Houston's Grant Stuard draft's Mr. Irrelevant". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Grant Stuard – Football". University of Houston Athletics.
- ^ "Grant Stuard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "Buccaneers make Grant Stuard Mr. Irrelevant with final pick in 2021 draft". NFL.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "Grant Stuard, Houston, OLB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "The Buccaneers Select Grant Stuard with the 259th Pick of the 2021 NFL Draft". Buccaneers.com. May 1, 2021.
- ^ Perkins, Jeffrey (April 29, 2021). "NFL Draft: Oak Ridge's Ossai, Stuard In Mix To Get Selected". Conroe-Montgomery County, TX Patch. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Goodall, Zach (May 13, 2021). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers Officially Sign Britt, Wilcox, Stuard". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Stankevitz, JJ (August 30, 2022). "Colts Acquire LB Grant Stuard In Trade With Tampa Bay Buccaneers". Colts.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Stankevitz, JJ (December 4, 2023). "How Colts' special teams delivered two game-shifting moments in Week 13 win over Titans". Colts.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Sherman, Ben (October 23, 2024). "Former Houston star turns in stunning performance in first NFL start: 'Like nothing I've ever seen'". si.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Leeds, Rob (November 21, 2021). "Buccaneers rookie stars in hilarious advertisement". ThePewterPlank.com. FanSided. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
Further reading
- Keefer, Zak (July 24, 2024). "'I lied about everything': An NFL player hid his family trauma until he saved them — and himself". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2024.