Tracy Lavon "Ace" Sanders (born November 11, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. 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 ...

at South Carolina.

Early years

Sanders was born in Palmetto, Florida. He played high school football for Manatee High School in Bradenton. He is the son of former

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 ...

safety Tracy Sanders. In addition to football, Sanders also ran track and field. He placed second in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

at the 2010 FHSAA 3A District 11 Championships, setting a career-best time of 10.98 seconds. He also competed in the long jump, he had a career-best jump of 6.95 meters.

College career

Sanders received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of South Carolina, where he played for coach

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...

team from 2010 to 2012. As a junior in 2012, he was a first-team All- Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection as a kick returner, and was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. In the

2013 Outback Bowl The 2013 Outback Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2013, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as part of the 2012–13 NCAA Bowl season. It was the 27th edition of the Outback Bowl, named afte ...

against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

, he caught a career-best nine passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, scored on a 63-yard punt return, and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).

Professional career

The Jacksonville Jaguars chose Sanders in the fourth round, with the 101st overall pick, of the

. He registered his first career reception in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. His first career punt return came in Week 4 against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. On December 5, 2013, in a ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

'' game against 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 ...

, Sanders threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Jordan Todman on a trick screen play. The Jaguars went on to win the game, 27–20. On December 15, he scored his first touchdown reception against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. Sanders finished his rookie season with 484 receiving yards on 51 catches with one touchdown, one pass for 21 yards and a touchdown, three kick returns for 140 yards, 25 for 140 yards on punt returns (with 16 fair catches) all in 15 out of the 16 regular season games. Sanders's second season got off to a bad start as Sanders was suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He was re-activated on October 4, 2014, ahead of the Jaguars' Week 5 matchup against 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 ...

. Overall, he had six receptions for 55 yards in the 2014 season. On July 17, 2015, Sanders was waived by the Jaguars.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Ace 1991 births Living people American football return specialists American football wide receivers Jacksonville Jaguars players South Carolina Gamecocks football players Sportspeople from Bradenton, Florida Players of American football from Florida People from Palmetto, Florida