Ryan Izzo (born December 21, 1995) 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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

for the Philadelphia Stars 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 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 ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, and was drafted by the

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 ...

in the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

Early years

Izzo grew up in the Highland Lakes of

Vernon Township, New Jersey Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located about one hour's drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population wa ...

and attended

Pope John XXIII Regional High School Pope John XXIII Regional High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Sparta, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. The school was founded in 1956, originally as ''Our Lady Of The Lake School'' and is part of the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

Sparta, New Jersey Sparta is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,600, reflecting a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 United States Census, when the township's population was 19, ...

. Izzo began his high school career at

Vernon Township High School Vernon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Vernon Township, New Jersey, Vernon Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, ...

, where he anticipated playing tight end but ended up playing quarterback. He transferred to football powerhouse Pope John to play tight end. Initially, he drew little attention from

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

football programs until

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 ...

expressed interest and 20 other schools followed thereafter before he graduated in 2014. As a senior, he tallied 766 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Along with football, he also played basketball. Izzo committed to play college football for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...

on September 23, 2013.

College career

As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Izzo played in all 13 of Florida State's games, catching 14 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. In 2016, Izzo once again played in all 13 games, catching 19 passes for 227 yards, tallying one touchdown. Prior to the 2017 season, Izzo was named to the

John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ac ...

watch list. As a redshirt junior, he played and started in all 13 games for Florida State, having 19 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, Izzo declared for the

Professional career

New England Patriots

Izzo was drafted by the

in the seventh round (250th overall) of the

. On September 2, 2018, He was placed on injured reserve. Without Izzo, the Patriots reached

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

where they defeated the

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

13–3. He made his NFL debut and had a three-yard reception in the Patriots' 2019 season-opening 33–3 victory over 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 ...

. Izzo became the 73rd different player to catch a touchdown pass from

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

, scoring on a 10-yard play in the Patriots' week 5 33–7 victory over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. Izzo missed multiple games in 2019 because of illness and various injuries including a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

. Izzo entered the 2020 season as the Patriots starting tight end. He started the first 12 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2020.

Houston Texans

On March 18, 2021, Izzo was traded to 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 ...

for a seventh round pick in the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2021.

New York Giants

On September 3, 2021, Izzo signed with 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. ...

practice squad. On September 21, 2021, Izzo was released from the practice squad.

Seattle Seahawks

On September 29, 2021, Izzo was signed to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

practice squad.

Tennessee Titans

On January 5, 2022, Izzo was signed by 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 h ...

off the Seahawks practice squad. He was released on June 1, 2022.

Carolina Panthers

On August 11, 2022, Izzo signed with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. He was waived on August 17, 2022.

Philadelphia Stars

On January 5, 2023, Izzo signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the

(USFL).

References

External links

New England Patriots bioFlorida State Seminoles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izzo, Ryan 1995 births Living people American football tight ends Carolina Panthers players Florida State Seminoles football players Houston Texans players New England Patriots players New York Giants players People from Vernon Township, New Jersey Philadelphia Stars (2022) players Players of American football from New Jersey Pope John XXIII Regional High School alumni Seattle Seahawks players Sportspeople from Sussex County, New Jersey Tennessee Titans players