Dezmen Southward (born October 1, 1990) 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 ...

free safety. He played college football at

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

High school career

Southward attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he did not start playing organized football until his senior year. He was a starting defensive back for the team, helping lead the team to a national championship. He was also a key member of the school's basketball team, being named a three-year captain and two-time team MVP. He was considered a two-star recruit by ''

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''.

College career

He accepted a scholarship to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

where he was a member of the

Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers football program represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the sport of American football. Wisconsin competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the W ...

team from 2009-2013. He set a school record by playing in 54 games, never missing a game over his four-year career. He started 30 games for the Badgers, recording 152 total tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss, forcing four fumbles, adding two interceptions and breaking up 11 passes.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Southward was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round (68th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. In Week 11 of the 2014 season, Southward picked off

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

quarterback Brian Hoyer for his first career interception. During the 2015 offseason, the Atlanta Falcons hired Dan Quinn as their head coach, replacing the outgoing Mike Smith. Quinn quickly changed Southward to a cornerback, from his natural safety position, and praised Southward's "speed and length". Southward was waived by the Falcons on November 6, 2015, after appearing in just three games for the Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts

Southward was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on November 10, 2015. On August 30, 2016, Southward was placed on injured reserve. On September 7, 2016, he was released from their injured reserve with an injury settlement.

Carolina Panthers

On December 28, 2016, Southward was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 12, 2017. On September 2, 2017, Southward was waived by the Panthers and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 6, 2017. He was waived on October 16, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 8, 2018. On September 1, 2018, Southward was waived by the Panthers and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 11, 2018, but was re-signed on September 24. He was released again on October 30, 2018.

References

External links

Wisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southward, Dezmen 1990 births Living people American football safeties Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Indianapolis Colts players People from Sunrise, Florida Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sportspeople from Broward County, Florida Southward, Dezmen Wisconsin Badgers football players