Maurice Lamont Ffrench (born January 1, 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 ...

wide receiver. 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

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and was originally signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

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 ...

in . He has also been a member of the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

, and

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

Early life and education

Ffrench was born on January 1, 1999, in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Brunswick High School New Brunswick High School (NBHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in New Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the main secondary school of the N ...

, playing

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

, wide receiver,

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

, and returner there. He ran for 1,375 yards on 106 carries (12.9 average), caught 28 passes for 727 yards, and scored 24 total touchdowns (15 rushing, five receiving, two on kickoff returns and two by punt returns). After spending all four years of high school as team captain, Ffrench accepted a scholarship offer from

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

to play for their Panther football team. As a true freshman, Ffrench appeared in nine games as a two-way player. He started the season as reserve wide receiver and later played defensive back, when multiple players were injured. He scored two touchdowns in the season, including one on a 77-yard rush against

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. On defense he made two tackles, both coming against Syracuse. He played in all twelve games as a sophomore, starting five and placing third on the team in receptions (25) and receiving yards (272). As a junior, Ffrench played in 14 games, starting six as a receiver. He totaled 10 touchdowns on rushes, receptions, and kick returns. He made a season-long 78-yard receiving touchdown against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

. He also made a 99-yard kick return touchdown against Notre Dame. He led his conference in kick return yards and touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-ACC. Ffrench had his best season as a senior, compiling 96 receptions for 850 yards and four touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-ACC honors.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

After going unselected in 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 ...

, Ffrench was signed by the

as an

. He was waived at roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released again at the following year's roster cuts, being signed again to the practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on September 13, 2021.

Los Angeles Chargers

Two days after being released, Ffrench was signed by the

. He was elevated to the active roster prior to their week nine game against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, in which he appeared on one play. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chargers on January 11, 2022. He was waived on August 15, 2022.

Edmonton Elks

Ffrench joined the

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) for the 2023 season and appeared in four games, registering 15 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown, before being released on July 24.

Ottawa Redblacks

Ffrench was signed to the

' practice squad on August 2, 2023.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ffrench, Maurice 1999 births Living people Pittsburgh Panthers football players American football wide receivers American football cornerbacks Kansas City Chiefs players Los Angeles Chargers players Edmonton Elks players Ottawa Redblacks players American football return specialists Sportspeople from New Brunswick, New Jersey Players of American football from Middlesex County, New Jersey