Marcus Joseph Valdez (born February 19, 1999) is an American professional

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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

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 ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

Early life

Marcus Joseph Valdez was born in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...

. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey as a defensive end, defensive tackle and tight end. He missed the majority of his senior year due to an injury. Valdez also participated in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

in high school.

College career

Valdez played

from 2018 to 2022. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2017. Valdez played in 12 games in 2018 and made 13 tackles. He appeared in 13 games, starting one, in 2019, totaling 26 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He started 11 games in 2020, accumulating 37 tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries while serving as a team captain. After missing the first three games of the 2021 season due to a hand injury, Valdez played in nine games, starting eight, in 2021, recording 28 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery while serving as a team captain for the second year in a row. He earned honorable mention All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) honors in 2021. He appeared in 12 games in 2022, totaling 30 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Professional career

Valdez was signed to the practice roster of the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) on July 24, 2023. He was promoted to the active roster on August 9 and played in one game for the Alouettes but did not record any statistics. He was placed 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 ...

on November 18, 2023. On November 19, 2023, the Alouettes won the 110th Grey Cup, defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 28–24. Valdez was released on April 18, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Marcus 1999 births Living people Montreal Alouettes players Boston College Eagles football players American football defensive linemen Canadian football defensive linemen Players of American football from Middlesex County, New Jersey Players of Canadian football from New Jersey Sportspeople from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Don Bosco Preparatory High School alumni