Brian Poole (born October 20, 1992) 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 wi ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who is a free agent. He played college football at

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2016.

High school career

Poole attended Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida and graduated in 2012. He played for the football team. He was recruited by the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, where he committed to play under new head coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...

College career

Poole played college football for the Gators from 2012–2015. In the 2012 season, he recorded three total tackles. In the 2013 season, he recorded 32 total tackles, two tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, and three passes defended. In the 2014 season, he recorded 45 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. In the 2015 season, he recorded 40 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, .5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

On May 5, 2016, the Atlanta Falcons signed Poole as an

on a three-year, $1.62 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $3,500. Poole received offers from multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals. He chose to sign with Atlanta Falcons due to his past relationship with head coach Dan Quinn, who recruited Poole to Florida and was his defensive coordinator there. Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against

DeMarcus Van Dyke DeMarcus Van Dyke (born January 17, 1989) is a former American football cornerback who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Van Dyke is currently the cornerbacks coach for the Miami Hurricanes football team. He was drafted ...

Akeem King Akeem Jerome King (born August 29, 1992) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State Spartans football, San Jose State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 20 ...

, C. J. Goodwin, David Mims, Devonte Johnson, and Jordan Sefon. He was named the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind

Desmond Trufant Desmond Trufant (born September 10, 1990) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington. Early years Trufant atte ...

and

Robert Alford Robert J. Alford (born December 10, 1950 in Edson, Alberta) is a Canadian politician. He married in 1975 and raised two daughters. Education Alford graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (S.A.I.T.) in 1971 with a diploma i ...

, and was also given nickel coverage duties. He had his first career interception in Week 16 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

on quarterback

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...

. He played in all 16 games with nine starts as a rookie, recording 59 tackles, 10 passes defensed, and one interception. In the postseason, he played in all three games, starting two, including

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New ...

, which the Falcons lost in overtime to the New England Patriots by a score of 34–28. In the Super Bowl, Poole had four total tackles. In 2017, Poole played in 15 games with three starts as the Falcons' No. 3 cornerback, recording 63 tackles and four passes defensed. In 2018, Poole played in all 16 games with nine starts, he recorded career-highs in both interceptions and sacks, with three in both category.

New York Jets

On March 15, 2019, Poole signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the New York Jets. In week 12 against the Oakland Raiders, Poole recorded an interception off a pass thrown by

Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All- MWC honors, and w ...

and returned it for a 15 yard touchdown in the 34–3 win. On March 21, 2020, Poole re-signed with the Jets. He was placed on injured reserve on November 17, 2020 after suffering shoulder and knee injuries in Week 9.

New Orleans Saints

On July 25, 2021, Poole signed a one-year contract with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on August 24, 2021. He was released on October 12.

New England Patriots

On October 27, 2021, Poole was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad. He was released on November 9.

Indianapolis Colts

On November 22, 2021, Poole was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bioFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Brian 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Bradenton, Florida Players of American football from Florida American football cornerbacks Florida Gators football players Atlanta Falcons players New York Jets players New Orleans Saints players New England Patriots players Indianapolis Colts players