Valerian Ume-Ezeoke (born February 14, 1993) is a former
American football center. He is now a graduate assistant for the
UMass Minutemen football program. 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
New Mexico State University.
Early life
Born the son of Anthony and Tina Ume-Ezeoke, Valerian attended
Lakeview Centennial High School in
Garland, Texas, where he was a member of the Patriots football team. Ume-Ezeoke played both offensive and defensive line for the Patriots, earning an All-State as a sophomore and junior.
Recruiting
Ume-Ezeoke committed to
New Mexico State University on September 2, 2010. He choose New Mexico State over football scholarships from the
United States Air Force Academy,
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
, and
Tennessee State University.
College career
Ume-Ezeoke came in played in 8 games as a true freshman, starting six of those games. As a sophomore, Ume-Ezeoke started all 12 games for the Aggies. Ume-Ezeoke was named to the
Rimington Trophy watch list as a junior, again starting all 12 games for the Aggies. As a senior in 2014, Ume-Ezeoke was once again added to the Rimington Tropher watch list and earned All-
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
First Team as an offensive lineman.
Professional career
Prior to the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
, Ume-Ezeoke was projected to be undrafted by NFLDraftScout.com. He was rated as the twentieth-best center in the draft.
Atlanta Falcons
On May 6, 2015, Ume-Ezeoke signed as an
undrafted free agent with the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. Ume-Ezeoke was cut during the first round of Falcons' cuts on August 30, 2015.
Arizona Cardinals
On January 5, 2016, Ume-Ezeoke was signed by the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
to a future/reserve contract. On May 4, 2016, he was cut by the Cardinals.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On August 1, 2016, Ume-Ezeoke signed with 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 ...
. On August 20, 2016, the Steelers waived/injured Ume-Ezeoke and was placed on injured reserve.
References
External links
New Mexico State bioPittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ume-Ezeoke, Valerian
Living people
1993 births
American people of Igbo descent
American sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Igbo sportspeople
Players of American football from Collin County, Texas
Players of American football from Dallas County, Texas
Players of American football from Garland, Texas
American football centers
New Mexico State Aggies football players
Atlanta Falcons players
Arizona Cardinals players
Pittsburgh Steelers players