Dezmen Southward (born October 1, 1990) 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 wi ...
free safety. He played college football at
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, and was drafted by the
Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the
2014 NFL Draft.
High school career
Southward attended
St. Thomas Aquinas High School in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he did not start playing organized football until his senior year. He was a starting defensive back for the team, helping lead the team to a national championship. He was also a key member of the school's basketball team, being named a three-year captain and two-time team MVP.
He was considered a two-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 ...
''.
College career
He accepted a scholarship to the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
where he was a member of the
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers football program represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the sport of American football. Wisconsin competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the W ...
team from 2009-2013. He set a school record by playing in 54 games, never missing a game over his four-year career. He started 30 games for the Badgers, recording 152 total tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss, forcing four fumbles, adding two interceptions and breaking up 11 passes.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
Southward was drafted by the
Atlanta Falcons in the third round (68th overall) of the
2014 NFL Draft. In Week 11 of the 2014 season, Southward picked off
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
quarterback
Brian Hoyer for his first career interception.
During the 2015 offseason, the Atlanta Falcons hired
Dan Quinn as their head coach, replacing the outgoing
Mike Smith. Quinn quickly changed Southward to a cornerback, from his natural safety position, and praised Southward's "speed and length".
Southward was waived by the Falcons on November 6, 2015, after appearing in just three games for the Falcons.
Indianapolis Colts
Southward was signed to the
Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on November 10, 2015. On August 30, 2016, Southward was placed on injured reserve. On September 7, 2016, he was released from their injured reserve with an injury settlement.
Carolina Panthers
On December 28, 2016, Southward was signed to 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. ...
' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 12, 2017.
On September 2, 2017, Southward was waived by the Panthers and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 6, 2017. He was waived on October 16, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 8, 2018.
On September 1, 2018, Southward was waived by the Panthers and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 11, 2018, but was re-signed on September 24. He was released again on October 30, 2018.
References
External links
Wisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southward, Dezmen
1990 births
Living people
American football safeties
Atlanta Falcons players
Carolina Panthers players
Indianapolis Colts players
People from Sunrise, Florida
Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Sportspeople from Broward County, Florida
Southward, Dezmen
Wisconsin Badgers football players