Alex Ward (born April 21, 1999) is an American professional football long snapper for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rams after the 2023 NFL draft.
| No. 47 – Los Angeles Rams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Long snapper | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 24, 1999 Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 241 lb (109 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach, Florida) | ||||||
| College: | UCF (2017–2022) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Early years
editWard grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and attended Choctawhatchee High School.[1] Eagle Scout from Shalimar Scouts BSA Troop 529.
College career
editWard redshirted his true freshman year at UCF and spent his redshirt freshman season as a backup long snapper.[2] As a redshirt senior, he was a finalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award.[3] Ward used the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to UCF for a sixth season and was a finalist for the Mannelly Award for a second straight year.[4] Ward played in 47 games over the course of his college career.[5] After the conclusion of his college career Ward played in the 2023 Senior Bowl and the 2023 Hula Bowl.[6]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
5.06 s | 1.80 s | 2.94 s | 4.46 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
14 reps | ||
| Sources:[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Ward was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2023, shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL draft.[9][10] On August 29, 2023, the Rams announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster.[11]
References
edit- ^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UCF Knights Long Snapper Alex Ward Named Patrick Mannelly Award Semifinalist". SpaceCoastDaily.com. November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Helwig, Brandon (October 15, 2019). "Alex Ward steps up at snapper". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "'Unless I mess up, you shouldn't know me': UCF long snapper looks to become best at his position once again". Orlando Sentinel. January 11, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "UCF Knights football: 5 notes from Pro Day". Daytona Beach News-Journal. March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Brugler, Dane (April 21, 2023). "2023 NFL Draft player rankings: Dane Brugler breaks down the top 300 prospects". The Athletic. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ "UCF's Ward begins NFL Draft process at Hula with Senior Bowl, Combine next". Orlando Sentinel. January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Ward Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Alex Ward College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "Rams agree to terms with 26 undrafted free agents". therams.com. May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Choctawhatchee High School standout signs with Los Angeles Rams". WEARTV.com. April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ "Rams announce initial 53-man roster for 2023 season". TheRams.com. August 29, 2023.