David Gbenda
 Gbenda with the Texas Longhorns in 2024 | |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Practice squad |
| CFL status | American |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 12, 2000 Katy, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 236 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cinco Ranch (Cinco Ranch, Texas) |
| College | Texas (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
David Gbenda (born December 12, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.
Early life
[edit]Gbenda attended Cinco Ranch High School in Cinco Ranch, Texas. As a junior, he totaled 56 tackles with eight going for a loss, and two sacks, earning first-team all-district and All-American honors.[1][2] Coming out of high school, Gbenda was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Texas Longhorns over offers from schools such as Arkansas, Baylor, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, TCU, and Texas A&M.[3]
College career
[edit]In his first four years with Texas from 2019 through 2022, Gbenda appeared in 32 games where he made three starts for the Longhorns, notching 55 tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, two pass deflections, and an interception in a limited role.[4] He finished the 2023 season with 50 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, and a pass deflection.[5] Instead of declaring for the 2024 NFL draft, Gbenda decided to return to play for the Longhorns in his final season of eligibility in 2024.[6] He entered the season as one of the starting linebackers for the Longhorns.[7] In week 5, Gbenda notched eight tackles with one being for a loss in a win over Mississippi State.[8]
College statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF | |||
| 2019 | Texas | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Texas | 10 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Texas | 11 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Texas | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Texas | 14 | 23 | 27 | 50 | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Texas | 16 | 33 | 28 | 61 | 5 | 1.0 | 1 | -3 | -1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 63 | 91 | 79 | 170 | 12 | 4.0 | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 6 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.99 m) | 4.74 s | 1.64 s | 2.62 s | 4.33 s | 7.20 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 18 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans
[edit]On May 8, 2025, Gbenda signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft.[11] He was waived on August 12.[12]
Saskatchewan Roughriders
[edit]Gbenda signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League on March 31, 2026.[13] On May 30, he was added to the practice squad.[14] On June 12th, Gbenda was placed on the active roster and a day later made his pro football debut against the BC Lions, recording a special teams sack.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Powers, Greg (6 October 2018). "Texas Gains Commit from Cinco Ranch LB David Gbenda". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Gates, Billy. "Longhorns 5th-year linebacker David Gbenda's UT journey is one of patience, commitment". KXAB.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Holland, EJ (1 October 2018). "Texas lands commitment from four-star LB David Gbenda". Dallas News. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Habel, Steve. "33 days until Texas Football: David Gbenda vying to be a starting linebacker". On3.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Cook, Joe. "David Gbenda, Texas' only sixth-year senior, looking to make the most of his final season". On3.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ "LB David Gbenda back for a sixth season with Texas Longhorns". Austin American-Statesman. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Hutchinson, Emma (7 November 2024). "Senior linebacker David Gbenda continues to make every snap count as underclassmen dominate as starters". The Daily Texan. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ Yum, Caleb (8 November 2024). "Texas football LB David Gbenda not counting reps, but instead making them count". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ↑ "2025 Football Pro Day Recap". TexasLonghorns.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ↑ "David Gbenda College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Sign 16 Undrafted Free Agents". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Sign LBs Khaleke Hudson and Blake Lynch, while Waiving LB David Gbenda and Waiving/Injured LB Anfernee Orji". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ↑ Staff (2026-03-31). "Roughriders Add Former Longhorns Lb David Gbenda". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ Bamhour, Jacob (May 30, 2026). "Saskatchewan Roughriders finalize 2026 roster, add 13 to practice squad". 980 CJME. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "David Gbenda - CFL". cfl.ca. Retrieved 26 June 2026.