Anthony McFarland Jr. (born March 4, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

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 College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

Early years

McFarland attended Ernest Everett Just Middle School in

Lake Arbor, Maryland Lake Arbor is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,541 at the 2020 census. It is one of the nation's most affluent African-American communities. The ZI ...

before attending

DeMatha Catholic High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Ca ...

Hyattsville, Maryland Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States Census. History Before Europeans reached the area, the upper An ...

. He did not play football his senior season of high school due to injury. Despite this he was still an Under Armour All-American. He committed to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

to play

. At DeMatha, he was a teammate of

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Chase Young Chase Young (born April 14, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Maryland, he played college football at Ohio State University for the Buckeyes. During hi ...

, who was later selected second overall in the

by the

Washington Football Team 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) E ...

College career

McFarland Jr. redshirted his first year at Maryland in 2017. He played for the first time in two years in 2018. He started five of 12 games, rushing for 1,034 yards on 131 carries with four

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s. In 2019, he rushed for 614 yards on 114 carries and eight touchdowns. After the season, he entered the

, forgoing his final two seasons.

Professional career

McFarland was selected by the

in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2020 season against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. He had six carries for 42 rushing yards in the 28–21 victory. On September 1, 2021, McFarland was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

to start the season. He was activated on October 27. On August 30, 2022, McFarland was waived by the Steelers and was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 12, 2023. On September 18, 2023, McFarland was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was activated on November 6. He was released on December 21 and re-signed to the practice squad.

References

External links

Pittsburgh Steelers bioMaryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarland, Anthony Jr. 1998 births Living people People from Hyattsville, Maryland Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland American football running backs DeMatha Catholic High School alumni Maryland Terrapins football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Under Armour All-American football players