Al Blades Jr. (born October 24, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Early life

Blades Jr attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. He committed to the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

to play college football.

College career

Miami

As a true freshman in 2018, Blades Jr. recorded 13 tackles in 13 games. He played mainly on special teams. In 2019, Blades Jr. recorded 36 tackles and 2 interceptions in 13 games in which he started 7 of those. In 2020, he recorded 29 tackles and two interceptions. At the end of the season, Blades Jr. was diagnosed with

myocarditis Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is an acquired cardiomyopathy due to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The ...

Duke

On December 12, 2022, Blades had announced that he was transferring to the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

Professional career

Blades signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2024.

Personal life

Blades is the son of the late American football safety

Al Blades Alphonso Blades (March 19, 1977 – March 20, 2003) was an American football safety who went to the University of Miami. He was selected as a first-team All-Big East player at Miami. He spent two years with the San Francisco 49ers. In March 20 ...

. He is the nephew of former

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

wide receiver

Brian Blades Brian Keith Blades (born July 24, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida ...

and former

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

safety

Bennie Blades Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. (born September 3, 1966) is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami. College career Blades played a big ...

, and cousin of

H. B. Blades Horatio Benedict "H.B." Blades, Jr. (born September 30, 1984) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football at Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the ...

, who played 4 seasons for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in the NFL.

References

External links

New York Jets bioMiami Hurricanes bioDuke Blue Devils bio
1999 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football defensive backs Miami Hurricanes football players Duke Blue Devils football players St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) alumni New York Jets players {{defensiveback-1990s-stub