Victor Adeyanju (born February 11, 1983) is a former
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 ...
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
. He was drafted by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in the fourth round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
. He played
college football at
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.
He has also played for the
Cincinnati Bengals. His younger brother James Adeyanju was a defensive end for the
2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were led by second-year head coach Gary Andersen, were members of the new West Division of th ...
.
High school career
Born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Adeyanju moved to the United States at age seven after living a few years in Nigeria.
Adeyanju attended and graduated from Nightingale Elementary School. He was a defensive end at
Curie High School in Chicago. The team compiled a 10–2 record that year, as Adeyanju recorded 45 tackles with ten sacks and seventeen stops behind the line of scrimmage. He saw action as a wide receiver and returned five kickoffs for 62 yards.
College career
The Indiana coaching staff decided to redshirt Victor in 2001, allowing him more time for his leg injury to heal. He started the final nine games of the 2002 season at left defensive end, producing 33 tackles (22 solos with a pair of sacks and four stops for losses. He manned the left defensive end position again as a sophomore. He managed 31 tackles (24 solos), a sack, five stops behind the line of scrimmage and a forced fumble during 2003.
Adeyanju was one of six players to start every game for Indiana in 2004. He posted 40 tackles (29 solos) with four sacks and 9.5 stops for losses. He also caused three fumbles, returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown and batted away three passes. In 2005, he was named Second-team All-Big Ten Conference. He led the team with 6.5 sacks and 12 stops behind the line of scrimmage and ranked seventh with 47 tackles (32 solos). He also caused a fumble and had
three pass break-ups.
In 46 games with the Hoosiers, Victor started 43 times. He finished with 151 tackles (107 solos), 13.5 sacks for losses of 104 yards and 31 stops for losses of 141 yards. He caused five fumbles and recovered another for a 4-yard touchdown return. He also deflected seven passes.
He graduated with a degree in computer science.
Professional career
St. Louis Rams
Adeyanju was selected by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in the fourth round (113th overall) in the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
. He signed a three-year $1.4 million contract with the Rams. In his rookie season he played in 12 games, recording 34 tackles and one sack and one pressure and scored his first NFL touchdown after recovering a fumble at the
Seattle Seahawks on December 12.
In the 2007 season, he recorded 29 tackles and had nine pressures. In 2008, he played in 16 games for first time and had a career-high 47 tackles including a personal best 2.0 sacks and 8 quarterback pressures.
On April 17, 2009, Adeyanju signed a one-year tender worth $1.01 million, meaning he will be under contract for the 2009 season with the St. Louis Rams for his fourth season. On March 30, 2010, Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Adeyanju signed a one-year tender contract for a non-guaranteed salary of $1.176 million.
On September 4, 2010, prior to the start of the regular season Adeyanju was waived by the Rams.
Cincinnati Bengals
On November 18, 2010, Adeyanju signed with the
Cincinnati Bengals and was waived on November 24, 2010.
He was inactive for the only game he was with Cincinnati, a 49–31 home loss to Buffalo. He was released on September 3, 2011.
References
External links
Rams Player Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adeyanju, Victor
1983 births
Living people
American football defensive ends
Indiana Hoosiers football players
Nigerian emigrants to the United States
American people of Yoruba descent
Yoruba sportspeople
Players of American football from Chicago
St. Louis Rams players
Cincinnati Bengals players