Rashad Fenton (born February 17, 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the Atlanta Falcons 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 at

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. He was drafted 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 ...

in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Early years

Fenton 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 Miami Carol City in

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its w ...

for coach

Aubrey Hill Aubrey Hill (February 18, 1972 – August 16, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. Hill was the wide receivers coach for the Florida Gators football team that represents the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. C ...

, who was coached by Steve Spurrier. Fenton was ranked as a high end three-star recruit by major recruiting services such as ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals and held numerous Power 5 offers. Fenton chose South Carolina Gamecocks football over Florida and Louisville.

College career

Fenton played four years of college football at the University of South Carolina. Fenton was a solid cover corner who has appeared in 48 games while making 30 starts. Fenton recorded 122 tackles, five interceptions, 24 passes defended, one forced fumble along with one fumble recovery. Fenton logged a 24.8-yard career kick return average, second in school history, including one kickoff return for a touchdown. Fenton started off his college football career for the

2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team The 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as part of its East Division. ...

as a true freshman seeing limited time and returning kicks. Coach Steve Spurrier resigned mid-season as well. For the

2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team The 2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina and compe ...

as a true sophomore, Fenton appeared in 12 games with seven starts for first year coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...

. For the season Fenton logged 38 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a half a sack, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, and one interception Prior to his senior campaign the 2018 season, Fenton was named to Athlon Sports’ 2018 pre-season fourth-team All-SEC unit. During his senior season in 2018 he was generally considered the Gamecocks top cover corner. Fenton also split his season playing time at nickel and safety during the 2018 season while starting 12 of 13 games. Fenton recorded 34 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and 3 interception (tied for seventh in the SEC). In fact, Fenton had interceptions in three consecutive SEC games, picking off Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur and Kentucky’s Terry Wilson. Fenton was nominated by his peers and received the “Unselfish Teammate Award” in 2018.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

2019

Fenton was drafted by the

in the sixth round with the 201st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In Week 11 against 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 ...

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...

, Fenton recorded his first career interception off

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...

in the 24–17 win. In Week 13 against the Oakland Raiders, Fenton forced a fumble during a kickoff return on Trevor Davis which was recovered by teammate

Dorian O'Daniel Dorian O'Daniel (born September 4, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Clemson Tigers football, Clemson. Professional career O'Daniel attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and ...

in the 40–9 win. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans, Fenton recorded a sack on wide receiver

Kenny Stills Kenneth Lee Stills Jr. (born April 22, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years ...

during the 51–31 win. Fenton won

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

with the Chiefs after they defeated the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

by a score of 31–20.

2020

Fenton appeared in all 16 regular season matchups. In Week 4 against the New England Patriots, Fenton recorded his first interception of the season during the 26–10 win. He injured both of his ankles following the Chiefs' Week 17 loss to the

, causing him to miss the Divisional Round win over the

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 ...

. He returned for the 2020 AFC Championship game, where he intercepted Buffalo Bills' quarterback

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defensi ...

in the red zone off a deflection, and returned it 30 yards to preserve a 16-point fourth quarter lead. It was Allen's first career red zone interception in three seasons of being a starter. The Chiefs would go on to win the game to advance to Super Bowl LV where they would lose 31-9 to 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 ...

Atlanta Falcons

Fenton was traded to the Atlanta Falcons on November 1, 2022, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection in the

2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioSouth Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Rashad 1997 births Living people American football cornerbacks Kansas City Chiefs players Atlanta Falcons players Players of American football from Miami South Carolina Gamecocks football players Miami Carol City Senior High School alumni