Xazavian Valladay (born July 3, 1998) is an American football running back for the

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

of the National Football League (NFL). 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 Arizona State and Wyoming.

Early life

Valladay's hometown is Matteson, Illinois and he attended Brother Rice High School. In his high school career, Valladay helped his high school to 9–3 record and to the 2016 Illinois Class 8A State Playoffs as the number eight seed. Valladay would decide to commit to play

at the University of Wyoming.

College career

Wyoming

In Wyoming's 2018 season finale, Valladay had a breakout game as he rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns, as he helped the Cowboys beat New Mexico to become bowl eligible. Valladay finished the 2018 season with 396 yards and three touchdowns on 71 carries, while also hauling in four passes for 35 yards. In the

2019 Arizona Bowl The 2019 Arizona Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2019, with kickoff at 4:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. local MST) on CBS Sports Network. It was the 5th edition of the Arizona Bowl, and one of the 2019–20 bowl g ...

, Valladay had a monster game rushing for 204 yards and a touchdown, while also bringing in three passes for 91 yards and a score, as he helped Wyoming beat

Georgia State Georgia state or ''variation'', may refer to: Primarily * Georgia State University ("State", "Georgia State"), a state university * Georgia (U.S. state) ("Georgia state"), a state of the United States of America Sports * sports teams of Georgia St ...

to win their bowl game. For his performance on the game he was named the Offensive MVP for the game. Valladay finished his breakout 2019 season with 1,265 yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries, while also notching 11 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns. For his performance on the season he was named to the 2019 First Team All Mountain-West football team. In week two of the 2020 season, Valladay had an amazing performance rushing for 163 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 32 yards, as he helped the Cowboys beat Hawaii 31–7. Valladay finished the shortened 2020 season with 550 yards and four touchdowns on 99 carries, while also hauling in 13 receptions for 105 yards. For his performance on the year, Valladay was named First Team All Mountain West for the second straight season. In week nine of the 2021 season, Valladay had another great performance rushing for 172 yards, but Wyoming would fall to San Jose State 27–21. Valladay finished the 2021 season with 1,063 yards and six touchdowns on 209 carries, while also racking up 23 receptions for 233 yards. For his performance on the season, Valladay would be named Second Team All Mountain West. After the conclusion of the 2021 season, Valladay announced that he had decide to enter the NCAA transfer portal and continue out his career elsewhere.

Arizona State

Valladay would decide to transfer to Arizona State to play out his final season of eligibility. Valladay had a stellar debut with Arizona State in week one of the 2022 season, as he rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, as helped the Sun Devils beat Northern Arizona. In week nine, Valladay had another great performance rushing for 118 yards and three touchdowns, as he helped Arizona State take down Colorado. Valladay finished the season with 1,192 yards and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries, while also bringing in 37 receptions for 289 yards and two touchdowns. For his performance on the season, Valladay was named second team all Pac-12. Valladay finished his college career with 4,466 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 841 carries, while also notching 88 receptions for 873 yards and four touchdowns.

Professional career

Houston Texans

After not being selected in the

2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

, Valladay signed with 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 ...

as an undrafted free agent. On August 13, 2023, Valladay was released by the Texans.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On August 15, Valladay 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 29, Valladay was released by the Steelers during final rosters cuts.

New York Jets

On August 30, Valladay signed to the

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 6, 2024.

References

External links

Arizona State Sun Devils bio

Wyoming Cowboys bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valladay, Xazavian 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois American football running backs Arizona State Sun Devils football players Wyoming Cowboys football players Houston Texans players New York Jets players Pittsburgh Steelers players