Channing Jevante Ward (born September 17, 1992) is a former

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 ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. 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 ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. Ward now coaches the defensive line at New Albany High School in

New Albany, Mississippi New Albany is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Mississippi, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,626. History New Albany was first organized in 1840 at the site of a grist mill and saw mil ...

Early life and high school career

He was born in 1992 in Aberdeen, Mississippi to parents Bob Evans and Cora Ward. He played football at Aberdeen High as a

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 ...

. Ward's high school career included numerous awards and recognition. Among his distinctions Ward was listed No. 2 on

The Clarion-Ledger ''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...

's Top Ten Most Wanted List. The Ledger also awarded him first-team All-State honors during his junior and senior years.

College career

Ward committed to the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

and first played in 2012. As a defensive end on special teams, Ward played every game during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and played as a backup defensive end on special teams during the 2014 season. After the 2015 season, Ward finished with 4 game starts and career highs of 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 3 passes defended. While at Mississippi, Ward majored in

Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

Professional career

Ward signed with the

Buccaneers Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 1688, ...

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. He made the Buccaneers' initial 53-man roster, playing in five games with one start over nine weeks and recording five tackles before being released on November 16, 2016. He was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted back to the active roster on December 29, 2016. On September 5, 2017, Ward was waived by the Buccaneers and was re-signed to the practice squad on September 14. He was promoted to the active roster on December 20, 2017. On July 25, 2018, Ward was waived by the Buccaneers with a non-football injury designation after suffering a torn patellar tendon. He was released on September 19, 2018. In October 2019, Ward was drafted by the

St. Louis BattleHawks The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha A ...

in the

2020 XFL Draft The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...

. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

References

External links

Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Channing 1992 births Living people People from Aberdeen, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football defensive ends Ole Miss Rebels football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players St. Louis BattleHawks players