Ali Fayad (born May 12, 1999) is a Lebanese-American

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
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defensive end who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played

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at Western Michigan and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in . He also played for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL).

Early life and education

Fayad was born on May 12, 1999, in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

. He is Lebanese. Fayad attended Dearborn High School, where as a senior he made 60 tackles and 17 sacks, earning '' Detroit Free Press'' first-team all-state and '' Detroit News'' all-metro honors. Fayad initially committed to Eastern Michigan, but changed his mind and instead committed to Western Michigan in 2017. As a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, Fayad appeared in every game and started three, making 20 tackles, 2-and-a-half

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

s and one

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recovered. In 2018, Fayad appeared in 13 games and was a starter in the final 12. He made a total of 34 tackles and 7.5 sacks, while also recording four forced fumbles and a recovery. He also recorded 12 tackles-for-loss, leading the school. Fayad started every game in 2019 and made a total of 53 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a recovery, earning second-team all-conference honors. Prior to the 2020 season, Fayad was ranked the number ten edge defender in the nation. In a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Fayad played in four games and made 17 tackles and four sacks. After a game against

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, he was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week. In 2021, Fayad ranked fourth in FBS with 13 sacks and was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

After going unselected in the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

, Fayad was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. He was released on August 14, 2022.

Toronto Argonauts

On September 3, 2022, Fayad was signed to the practice roster of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in four games for the Argos in 2022, contributing with four defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one sack. Fayad won the

109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regina, and the first ...

to conclude the season. He was released by the Argos on February 28, 2023.

Philadelphia Stars

On March 4, 2023, Fayad signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). The Stars folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Fayad signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL on January 17, 2024. However, he was released in early cuts on May 12, 2024. Due to a number of injuries on the defensive line, he was later re-signed by the team on June 15, 2024. Fayad was released again on July 8, 2024.

References

External links

Winnipeg Blue Bombers bio

Western Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fayad, Ali 1999 births Living people Lebanese players of American football American football defensive linemen Players of American football from Michigan Sportspeople from Dearborn, Michigan Western Michigan Broncos football players Philadelphia Eagles players Philadelphia Stars (2022) players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players