Noah Dawkins (born August 13, 1997) 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 wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played i ...
of the
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL). He played
college football for
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...
.
High school/college career
A native of
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Off ...
he was a 2 year letterman at
James F. Byrnes High School; as a senior he set a school record with 23 sacks; he was named the ESPN Upstate Player of the Year and the Spartanburg Herald Journal Defensive Player of the Year.
Dawkins was a member of
The Citadel Bulldogs
The Citadel Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent The Citadel. All sports participate in the NCAA Division I except football, which competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Since 1936, varsity sports have ...
for four seasons. As a senior, Dawkins finished second on the team with 66 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss and led the Bulldogs with 5.5 sacks and was named first-team All-
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...
. He finished his collegiate career with 166 tackles, 31.5 tackles-for-loss, 14.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
After an impressive Pro Day in the spring of his senior year at The Citadel Dawkins was named to Mel Kipers "Big Board" list of 300 top draft picks but was not selected, he was signed by the
Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent on May 11, 2019. He was waived by the Bengals at the end of training camp, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dawkins was signed off the Bengals' practice squad by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
. Dawkins made his NFL debut on October 27, 2019 against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
.
On September 5, 2020, Dawkins was waived by the Buccaneers.
New York Jets
On September 22, 2020, the
New York Jets signed Dawkins to their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 5, December 12, December 19, December 26, and January 2, 2021, for the team's weeks 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 games against the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
,
Seattle Seahawks,
Los Angeles Rams,
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 ...
, and
New England Patriots, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 4, 2021.
On August 31, 2021, Dawkins was waived by the Jets. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 14. He was promoted to the active roster on October 30, 2021. He was waived on November 2, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad.
Chicago Bears
On February 22, 2022, Dawkins signed with the
Chicago Bears. He was released on August 16, 2022.
Michigan Panthers
On March 14, 2023, Dawkins signed with the
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played i ...
of the
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL).
References
External links
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioThe Citadel bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Noah
1997 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Chicago Bears players
Michigan Panthers (2022) players
New York Jets players
People from Lyman, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
The Citadel Bulldogs football players