| Ohio State Buckeyes – No. 97 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Class | Senior |
| Major | Sociology |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 287 lb (130 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
Cameron Heyward (born May 6, 1989 in Suwanee, Georgia) is an American football defensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is considered one of the top defensive end prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft.[1]
High School Career
editCameron Heyward was the 2006 Georgia Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year when he played for Peachtree Ridge High School. He totaled over 100 tackles and 16 sacks as a Senior. He was the 7th best football player in Georgia, and the 13th best defensive tackle in the nation.[2] He benched 335 pounds and squatted 510 pounds. He was a scholar athlete of Peachtree Ridge High School with a core GPA of 3.2, and the SAT score of 980 out of 1600. "I'm quick for my size and very agile," Heyward comments to Scouts with Fox Sports.[3]
College career
editAs a freshman in 2007 Heyward was a freshman All-American by Sporting News, Rivals.com and Scout.com after he recorded 30 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 passes broken up. He also was known for the first year letterman. As a sophomore in 2008, he recorded 36 tackles and three sacks improving from his season as a freshman. He was spotlighted when he recorded a five-yard sacks at Wisconsin. Later that season he record a tackle for loss and two tackles at Michigan State. At Penn State, he recorded six tackles and a pass breakup showing tremendous amount of effort. Then, he forced a fumble and a game-turning fourth quarter sacks against Northwestern. The last two highlights of his sophomore year were when he had seven tackles against Illinois and a sacks and six tackles against Michigan. He was again known for his second year letterman.[4]
His season as a Junior in 2009 assured the media that he was a solid enough player to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. He had 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl. He had 5 tackles against Navy and 9 tackles against USC, 2 of them being tackles for loss. He also had an amazing 7-yard sacks and 3 tackles against Toledo, and he recorded a sacks and 5 tackles in a win against Wisconsin. He had an outstanding 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 tackles for loss in a dominant game against Penn State. He also recorded 4 tackles in a win against Iowa, a fumble recovery touchdown and a sack against Michigan, and finally a 9-yard sack in a win at the Rose Bowl. He received a Jack Stephenson Award from the Ohio State coaches, and was known for his third year letterwinner.[5]
Even though Cameron could have been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, he decided to finish his college career with his final season with the Buckeyes as a Senior. The Buckeyes had a tremendous loss of strength in the defense when the defensive end, Thaddeus Gibson, was drafted in the NFL. Since Heyward was staying in school, this still gave the Ohio State defense to hold on another strong season. "I've been blessed to this point. I am just having fun being a college student. ... I want to help our team achieve the goals of winning another Big Ten title and possibly accomplishing a national championship," Cameron Heyward comments in a statement released through Ohio State.[6] So far in his season as a senior, he made a highlight play when he intercepted the ball at the 6-yard line, and ran back 80 yards leading to a touchdown for the Ohio State Buckeyes.[7] This showed that Heyward is in fact ready for the NFL, and he is sure to be drafted in the first round. "Heyward's ability to pursue the action to the sidelines was impressive and offers further proof the senior is a solid athlete with the ability to effectively line up in a variety of schemes," as Sports Illustrated quotes about Cameron Heyward.[8]
Personal
editHeyward is the son of former NFL running back Craig Heyward.[9] Cameron is one of the finest defensive linemans in NCAA and sadly his father is not here to witness it. Cameron's father died of a brain tumor in May, 2006 at the age of 39. "When you hear about my dad, it's almost like he's immortal," Cameron states to The Detroit News, "You can definitely say, when he encountered a person, he inspired them ... he left an imprint."[10]
References
edit- ^ NFL Draft Scout
- ^ #97 cameron heyward. (2010). Retrieved from http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=4860470
- ^ #97 cameron heyward peachtree ridge hs roster. (2010). Retrieved from http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=2391149
- ^ #97 cameron heyward. (2008). Retrieved from http://iowa.scout.com/a.z?s=8&p=8&c=1&nid=3706659
- ^ Cameron heyward biography. (2010, August 05). Retrieved from http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1151220
- ^ Rittenberg, A. (2010). Heyward, chekwa return to ohio state. ESPN College Football, Retrieved from http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4799106
- ^ Miller, R. (2010). Ugly rematch goes buckeyes' way. The Washington Post, Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/
- ^ Pauline, T. (2010). Risers and sliders: 2011 nfl draft. SI.com a CNN Network, Retrieved from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/09/13/risers.sliders.week2/index.html
- ^ Heyward following in father’s footsteps
- ^ Dunlap, C. (2010). Buckeyes' cameron heyward inspired by 'ironhead' father. The Detroit News, Retrieved from http://detnews.com/article/20100730/SPORTS0203/7300344/Buckeyes--Cameron-Heyward-inspired-by--Ironhead--father
External links
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