Geno Stone (born April 19, 1999) 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 with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for 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 its ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, and was drafted by the Ravens in the seventh round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

. Stone also played for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

in 2020.

Early life and high school

Stone grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania and attended New Castle Junior/Senior High School, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, and defensive back on the

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 and was also a member of the basketball and track & field teams. He was named first-team All-State as a senior after recording 97 tackles with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, and 10 interceptions. A 2-star recruit, Stone initially committed to play college football at

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

over offers from

Ball State Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball C ...

, Buffalo,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and Miami (OH), among others, but he flipped his commitment to Iowa after receiving a late offer from the school.

College career

Stone played in all 13 of Iowa's games as a true freshman, appearing mostly on special teams and finishing the season with 17 tackles and one interception. He became a starter during his sophomore year, recording 39 tackles with a forced fumble, three passes broken up and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown and was named honorable mention All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. As a junior, Stone recorded 70 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, four passes broken up, three forces fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery and was named second-team All-Big Ten. Following the end of the season Stone declared to enter the

, forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Stone was selected by the

with the 219th overall pick in the seventh round of the

. He was waived on October 8, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad two days later. He was elevated to the active roster on November 9 and November 14 for the team's weeks 9 and 10 games against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on November 17, 2020. Stone was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list by the team on December 2, 2020, and activated on December 21. He was waived again on December 28.

Houston Texans

Stone was claimed off waivers by the

on December 29, 2020.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

2021 season

On March 23, 2021, Stone signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens after the Texans did not extend him a qualifying offer. Due to numerous injuries to the Ravens’ defense, Stone saw increased playing time as the season progressed. He would have his first career start in Week 15 in a 30–31 loss to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. He recorded his first career interception in a Week 18 13–16 overtime loss to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. On March 9, 2022, the Ravens placed an exclusive-rights free agent tender on Stone.

2022 season

Stone was named the starting free safety for the Ravens Week 6 against the

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

after Marcus Williams went on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

for a wrist injury. He had six tackles in the 20–24 loss. He then followed up that performance leading the Ravens in tackles the next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Geno 1999 births Living people African-American players of American football People from New Castle, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football safeties Iowa Hawkeyes football players Baltimore Ravens players Houston Texans players 21st-century African-American sportspeople