Tony Poljan (born April 25, 1997) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Central Michigan and Virginia. He played in one game in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
| No. 83 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 25, 1997[1] Lansing, Michigan |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight: | 251 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Lansing Catholic (Lansing, Michigan) |
| College: | Central Michigan (2016–2019) Virginia (2020) |
| Undrafted: | 2021 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early years
editPoljan grew up in Lansing, Michigan and attended Lansing Catholic High School, where he played basketball and football and also lettered in track and field. He became the Cougars' starting quarterback as a sophomore and passed for 2,802 yards and 34 touchdowns as a junior while also rushing for 1,017 yards and 22 touchdowns.[2] As a senior, Poljan passed for 1,907 yards and 16 touchdowns, rushed for 1,237 yards and 25 touchdowns and was named first-team Division 5–6 all-state and the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year.[3]
Poljan originally committed to play college football at Minnesota, but de-committed following the retirement of head coach Jerry Kill. He ultimately signed to play at Central Michigan, where his father had played, over offers from Nebraska, Iowa State and Michigan State, whose coaches wanted him to move to another position.[4] Poljan also had scholarship offers to play basketball at Toledo and Central Michigan.[5]
College career
editPoljan redshirted his freshman season with the Central Michigan Chippewas.[6] He played quarterback and wide receiver as a redshirt freshman and completed 13-of-21 passes for 78 yards, rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown, and had five receptions for 97 yards. He began his sophomore season as the Chippewas starting quarterback, but ultimately split time between quarterback and tight end, completing 51.7 percent of his passes for 625 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions with 123 rushing yards and one touchdown while catching seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.[7] As a junior, Poljan solely played tight end and was named second-team All-Mid-American Conference after catching 33 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns.[8][9] Poljan graduated at the end of his junior year and announced that he would be entering the transfer portal and ultimately committed to join Virginia as a graduate transfer.[10] Poljan caught 38 passes for 411 yards and six touchdowns in his lone season with the Cavaliers.[11]
Professional career
editBaltimore Ravens
editPoljan signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2021.[12][13] He was waived on August 31, 2021, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[14][15] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Ravens on January 10, 2022.[16]
On August 30, 2022, Poljan was waived by the Ravens.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Tony Poljan (TE): Bio, News, Stats & more".
- ^ McMann, Aaron (July 16, 2015). "The evolution of Lansing Catholic QB Tony Poljan to football, Minnesota commit". MLive.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Stuttering didn't slow down new UVA tight end Tony Poljan". Richmond Times-Dispatch. August 28, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Lansing Catholic QB Tony Poljan signs to play football at Central Michigan". February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Calloway, Brian (February 5, 2015). "Recruiting: Poljan leads area's best in 2016 class". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Tony Poljan out to make most of dream as QB at Central Michigan". Lansing State Journal. August 21, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "In pursuit of NFL, Central Michigan TE Tony Poljan enters transfer portal". SI.com. July 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Former Central Michigan tight end Tony Poljan enters transfer portal". The Detroit News. July 15, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "UVa football: Graduate transfer Poljan increases Cavs strength at tight end". The Roanoke Times. September 22, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Central Michigan TE Tony Poljan announces transfer to Virginia". Lansing State Journal. July 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Pro Football Focus lists top tight ends in 2021 NFL Draft". Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Snowden, Poljan and Amos sign undrafted free agent deals". Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (May 13, 2021). "Ravens Announce Nine Undrafted Rookie Signings". BaltimoreRavens.com.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (August 31, 2021). "Ravens Make Cuts to 53. Here's the Full List". BaltimoreRavens.com.
- ^ Barber, Kyle P. (September 1, 2021). "Ravens practice squad tracker 2021: news, rumors, updates and more". Baltimore Beatdown. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (January 10, 2022). "Ravens Sign Eight Players to Reserve/Future Deals". BaltimoreRavens.com.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (August 30, 2022). "Ravens Make Roster Cuts to 53". BaltimoreRavens.com.