Colin Baxter (born July 31, 1987) 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 ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who is currently a

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 ...

. He was signed 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 ...

by the San Diego Chargers in 2011. He played college football for the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He has also been a member of the New York Jets.

Early years

A native of

Rolling Hills, California Rolling Hills is a city on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Rolling Hills is a gated community with private roads with three entry gates. Homes are single-story 19th century California ranch or Spa ...

, Baxter attended

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is a public high school in Rolling Hills Estates, California, United States. History The school was formed in 1991 when Miraleste High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Rolling Hills High School were merge ...

, where he played lineman on both sides of the ball, and was the 2005

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

Division III Defensive Player of the Year. Regarded as a three-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', Baxter was listed as the No. 25 offensive guard prospect in the class of 2006. He was Arizona's first commitment in Class of 2006, pledging in June 2005.

College career

Baxter finished his senior season at Arizona with 50 appearances and 49 consecutive starts (first 11 at left guard, before switching to center). He was

Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College ...

candidate in 2009 and earned an All-Pac-10 Second-team selection two years in a row. Finalist for the 2010

and also nominated for the 2010

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...

. Baxter was considered one of the best

prospect in his class.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Baxter was signed by the San Diego Chargers on July 26, 2011. He was waived on September 3.

New York Jets

Baxter was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on September 4, 2011. Baxter made his professional debut on September 18, 2011 after

Nick Mangold Nicholas Allan Mangold (born January 13, 1984) is a former American football center. He played college football at Ohio State, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold was a seven-time Pro Bowl selec ...

left the game due to an ankle injury. Baxter performed well in his debut during a 31-3 win against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. After Mangold went on the disabled list due to a high ankle sprain, Baxter was named the new starting center for the Jets. In Week 4 vs. the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

, Baxter was pulled from the game due to struggles and was replaced by

Matt Slauson Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, and India ...

. The Jets designated Baxter for assignment after Mangold was activated and waived Baxter on October 25, 2011.

Second stint with the Chargers

Baxter elected to re-sign to San Diego's practice squad on October 26, 2011 despite the Jets' expressed interest in re-signing him to their squad. On August 25, 2013, he was cut by the Chargers.

Los Angeles Kiss

Baxter was assigned to the Los Angeles Kiss of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

on January 14, 2014. He was reassigned on June 2, 2014.

References

External links

New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Colin 1987 births Living people People from Rolling Hills, California Players of American football from California American football centers Arizona Wildcats football players San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California New York Jets players Los Angeles Kiss players