William "Will" Rackley III (born October 11, 1989) is a former American football offensive guard. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

. 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 Lehigh University.

Early years

Rackley was born in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. He attended Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia, where he was a teammate of Cordy Glenn. He played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

at Riverdale, earned first-team all-area honors as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

and second-team all-area honors as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He was recruited by Lehigh University, Lafayette College,

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, and Georgia Tech, but ultimately chose to attend Lehigh. While at Lehigh, he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.

College career

Rackley

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in every game for the Mountain Hawks in each of his four seasons, the only one to do so in the last 20 years at Lehigh. Rackley started for coach Andy Coen in 2007, the first freshman to start at offensive line under Coen. Rackley earned first-team All-

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

honors from 2008 to 2010. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Design from Lehigh on May 23, 2011.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

Along with

David Arkin David George Arkin (December 24, 1941 – January 14, 1991) was an American actor, known for his numerous supporting appearances in the films of Robert Altman. These roles were part of Altman's frequent ensemble and included Staff Sergeant Voll ...

Ben Ijalana Benjamin Ijalana ( ; born August 6, 1989) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football for Villanova and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Early years Ijalana's pare ...

, and Brandon Fusco, Rackley was considered one of the best small-school offensive line prospects. He was drafted with the 76th overall pick in the

by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Rackley played 15 games in his rookie season, including 14 starts at left guard. In the 2012 preseason, right tackle Eben Britton was moved to Rackley's position of left guard. Rackley was then expected to contribute as a backup guard and center before suffering an injury. Rackley spent the 2012 season on injured reserve. In 2013, Rackley returned to the starting left guard position. He was placed on injured reserve on December 17, 2013. Rackley was released by the Jaguars on May 12, 2014.

Baltimore Ravens

Rackley signed with the Baltimore Ravens on May 19, 2014. The Ravens placed Rackley on injured reserve on August 25, 2014, with a concussion.Ravens Trim Roster Down To 75
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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rackley, Will 1989 births Living people People from Riverdale, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football offensive guards Lehigh Mountain Hawks football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Baltimore Ravens players Ed Block Courage Award recipients