Medgar Elisha Harold (born January 20, 1994) is a

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive end who is a free agent. 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 ...

for the University of Virginia

Cavaliers The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

Early years

Harold attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track. He played as a defensive end, quarterback, running back and wide receiver for the Ocean Lakes Dolphins

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team. He was a SI.com honorable mention All-American. As a senior, he totalled 78 tackles and 16 sacks on defense and had 1,146 total yards and 20 touchdowns on wildcat offense. He led the Dolphins with 41 receptions for 723 yards. He was a first-team All-Tidewater pick. He was named the

Beach District The Beach District is a district of the Virginia High School League. The schools in the Beach District compete in the 6A and 5A divisions. Facts about the District As its name implies, the Beach District is composed solely of all 11 public high s ...

Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-district selection at wide receiver and defensive end. He also played in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he served as a team captain for the East squad. Also a standout track & field athlete, Harold was a state qualifier in the jumping events. At the 2009 Beach District Outdoor Track Championship, he placed 3rd in the triple jump event with a leap of 13.40 meters (43-10). He earned a second-place finish in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

at the 2012 Tallwood Team Challenge, recording a career-best throw of 14.01 meters (45-8). He also posted a personal-best leap of 6.68 meters (21-8.5) in the long jump at the 2012 District Meet, where he took first.

Recruiting

Regarded as a four-star recruit by both '' Rivals.com'' and '' ESPN'', Harold was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Virginia, the No. 5 defensive end nationally and the No. 50 overall prospect by Rivals, and the No. 15 defensive end in the nation by ESPN. He also earned a scouts grade of 80 from ESPN. He was regarded as a five-star recruit by '' Scout.com'', and was ranked the No. 1 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. In August 2011, Harold committed to the University of Virginia to play

College career

Harold played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2012. He finished the year with 36 tackles two sacks and an interception. Harold took over as a starter in 2013. He finished the year with 51 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Harold returned as a starter his junior season in 2014. He finished the year with 54 tackles seven sacks and one interception. Harold announced on December 10, 2014 that he would forgo his senior season and enter the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He finished his career with 141 tackles 17.5 sacks and two interceptions.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

On May 2, 2015, Harold was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round with the 79th overall pick of the

. As a rookie in 2015, he played in 16 games making 13 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

Detroit Lions

On August 23, 2018, Harold was traded from San Francisco to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

for a conditional 2020 draft pick. Conditions were met and the Lions' 2020 7th round pick transferred to the 49ers.

Buffalo Bills

On April 10, 2019, Harold signed a one-year deal with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Philadelphia Eagles

On August 9, 2019, Harold was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for offensive lineman Ryan Bates. He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

Toronto Argonauts

On December 10, 2020, it was announced that Harold had signed with the Toronto Argonauts.

Personal life

Eli Harold was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1994. He identifies himself as a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and was raised in the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...

as a Pentecostal during his childhood. His older brother, Walter Ray Harold, Jr., is a Pentecostal minister and pastor in Virginia Beach. Harold's nephew, Forrest Ray Harold, son of his brother Walter Ray, Jr., died on November 13, 2010 at the age of 20. Harold's mother died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

at the age of 56 on January 2, 2011. His other nephew, Walter Harold III, was a quarterback at Virginia State University. He is married to Kelsey Harold (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Pendleton). They have one daughter named Zuri and one son named Eli Jr.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio

San Francisco 49ers bio

Detroit Lions bioToronto Argoanuts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harold, Eli 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Virginia Beach, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia African-American players of American football American football defensive ends Virginia Cavaliers football players San Francisco 49ers players Detroit Lions players Buffalo Bills players Philadelphia Eagles players Toronto Argonauts players 21st-century African-American sportspeople