Sony Michel (born February 17, 1995) is an

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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the first round of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

. As a member of the Patriots for three seasons, he won a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

title in

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

and scored the game's only touchdown. Michel was traded to the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

in 2021, where he won

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...

. He joined the Dolphins the following offseason, but was cut before the season began, then signed with the

Early years

Michel's parents emigrated from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

a year after his older sister Lamise was born. Michel attended American Heritage School in

Plantation, Florida Plantation is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 91,750. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The city's name comes from the previous part-owner of the land, the ...

. Michel was the starting running back for the American Heritage Patriots, beginning in his eighth grade year there. As a senior, he rushed for 1,833 yards and 24

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. Over three years playing on varsity, he rushed for 4,758 yards and 63 touchdowns. He was rated by Rivals.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the third best running back and 13th best player overall. Michel committed to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

on April 26, 2013, to play

. Michel also competed in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

at American Heritage; as a sophomore in 2011, he earned first-place finishes in both the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

(10.99s) and

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

(21.91s) at the

FHSAA The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high schools in Florida. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Florida uses ...

2A District Meet. He posted a personal-best time of 10.64w in the 100-meter dash at the 3rd Annual Miramar Invitational, where he placed first.

College career

As a true freshman at Georgia in 2014, Michel played in eight games and made one start. He missed five games due to a fractured shoulder blade. He rushed for 410 yards on 64 carries with five rushing touchdowns. Michel entered 2015 as a backup to

Nick Chubb Nicholas Jamaal Chubb (born December 27, 1995) is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the ...

, but earned extensive playing time. After Chubb was injured in a game against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

, Michel took over as the starter and ran for 145 yards. In the 2016 season, Michel totaled 840 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 22 receptions for 149 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. In 2017, with true freshman

Jake Fromm William Jacob Fromm (born July 30, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of ...

starting at quarterback for the Bulldogs, the team relied heavily on its senior running backs, Chubb and Michel, to carry the load. Despite remaining second in the depth chart behind Chubb, and receiving only two-thirds as many carries as Chubb, Michel had a breakout year, finishing with 1,227 rushing yards (156 carries), only 118 yards fewer than Chubb's 1,345 (223 carries). In a blowout game against Vanderbilt on October 7, Michel rushed for 150 yards and a score on only 12 carries. Three weeks later, in an October 28 rout of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, Michel rushed for 137 yards on only 6 carries, scoring twice on runs of 74 yards and 45 yards. Michel's biggest game of the year came on New Year's Day against

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in the Rose Bowl, Georgia's first-ever

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

game. Carrying the ball only 11 times, Michel ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns, including a walk-off 27-yard rushing touchdown from the "Wild Dawg" formation (direct snap to Michel) to end the game in double overtime. He also added four receptions for 41 yards and a fourth touchdown. For his performance, Michel was named Rose Bowl Offensive MVP. Chubb and Michel's 326 combined rushing yards in the Rose Bowl put them at 8,259 career rushing yards, surpassing

Eric Dickerson Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Meth ...

and Craig James' FBS record of 8,192.

College statistics

Professional career

Michel was selected by the

in the first round of the

with the 31st overall pick. He was the third running back to be selected that year. In addition, he was the third of six Georgia Bulldogs to be selected that year. Michel and

Isaiah Wynn Isaiah Emmanuel Wynn (born December 9, 1995) is an American football Guard (gridiron football), offensive guard for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia and wa ...

were the first pair of college teammates selected by the same team in the first round since Auburn players

Jason Campbell Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

and Carlos Rogers were taken in the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...

by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

New England Patriots

2018 season

Michel suffered a knee injury in training camp causing him to miss the entire preseason and the season-opener against 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) South division, and play their home games at NR ...

. He made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. He rushed 10 times for 34 yards and had a six-yard reception in the 31–20 road loss. Two weeks later against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

, he had a breakout game with 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown in the 38–7 victory. Michel became the first rookie to top 100 rushing yards in a game for the Patriots since Brandon Bolden in 2012. In the next game against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

, Michel rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots won 38–24. In the next game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

, he rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a narrow 43–40 victory on ''

Sunday Night Football Sunday Night Football may refer to: * ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games by NBC since 2006 * ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games from 1987 to 2005 by ESPN * ...

''. In the process, Michel became the first New England rookie to score on the ground twice in a game since Laurence Maroney in 2006. During a Week 12 27–13 road victory over 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 ...

, he ran for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown, the most rushing yards by a Patriot rookie since Brandon Bolden ran for 137 yards in 2012. This game was his third time breaking the century mark, making him the first Patriots rookie since Robert Edwards did so in 1998. In a Week 16 victory against the

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

, Michel had 18 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Michel finished his rookie year with 931 rushing yards and six touchdowns along with seven receptions for 50 yards. The Patriots finished atop the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buf ...

with an 11–5 record and earned the No. 2 seed for the AFC Playoffs, including a first-round bye. In the Divisional Round against the

, Michel had 24 carries for 129 yards and three touchdowns in a 41–28 victory. During the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

against the Chiefs, he ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries in the 37–31 overtime road victory. Michel broke the NFL record for most playoff rushing touchdowns for a rookie, scoring five between the divisional and conference championship games. On February 3, 2019, he scored the only touchdown in

against the

, carrying 18 times for a game-leading 94 yards. The go-ahead touchdown occurred in the middle of the fourth quarter in the 13–3 victory. Michel was the leading rusher in the game and extended his rookie postseason rushing record to six touchdowns in three games; he scored six touchdowns in 13 regular-season games. Only

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

running back

Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis (born October 28, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2001. He is the Broncos all-time leading rusher and ...

has rushed for more touchdowns in a single postseason than Michel; Davis scored eight touchdowns in four games in the 1997 postseason. Michel is the first player since Davis with more than four rushing touchdowns in one postseason.

2019 season

During Week 2 against the

, Michel rushed 21 times for 83 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season in the 43–0 shutout road victory. Three weeks later against the

, he rushed 16 times for 91 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 32 yards in the 33–7 road victory. Two weeks later against the

, Michel rushed 19 times for 42 yards and three touchdowns in the 33–0 shutout road victory. Overall, Michel finished the 2019 season with 247 carries for 912 rushing yards and seven touchdowns along with 12 receptions for 94 yards.

2020 season

Michel was placed on the active/

physically unable to perform list Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...

at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. He was activated from the list on August 26. In Week 3, Michel recorded 140 scrimmage yards (117 rushing, 23 receiving) in the 36–20 victory over the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2020, with a quadriceps injury. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

list by the Patriots on October 17, 2020, and removed from the list back to injured reserve on October 31. He was activated off of injured reserve on November 21, 2020. In Week 17 against the

, Michel carried the ball 16 times for 76 yards, and caught three passes for 60 yards and his first career receiving touchdown during the 28–14 win. Overall, Michel finished the 2020 season with 449 rushing yards and one touchdown, along with seven receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown.

Los Angeles Rams

2021 season

Michel was traded to the

on August 25, 2021, in exchange for a fifth and sixth round pick in the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and ...

. In Week 13, against the

, he had 24 carries for 121 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 37–7 victory. In Week 16, against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

, he had 27 carries for 131 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 30–23 victory. He finished the 2021 season with 208 carries for 845 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 21 receptions for 128 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Michel won his second Super Bowl title when the Rams defeated the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

. In the Super Bowl, Michel had two carries for two yards.

Miami Dolphins

On May 10, 2022, Michel signed with the

. He was released on August 29, 2022.

Los Angeles Chargers

On August 31, 2022, Michel signed with the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

NFL records

* Most rushing touchdowns in a postseason by a rookie: 6

Personal life

Michel's older brother

Marken Michel Marken Michel (born July 6, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at UMass before signing with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Michel has also played for the Calga ...

is a wide receiver for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

of the

, and was the 2017 West Division Most Outstanding Rookie with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

. Michel is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

. Michel has said, “Without Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, there is none of this. We get all this glory, but the glory is not for us, it’s for Him. We do this for Him. That’s kind of my purpose. So really, none of this matters to me.”

References

External links

*
Los Angeles Rams bioGeorgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, Sony 1995 births Living people American football running backs American sportspeople of Haitian descent Georgia Bulldogs football players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players Los Angeles Rams players Los Angeles Chargers players People from Plantation, Florida Players of American football from Florida Sportspeople from Broward County, Florida American Heritage School (Florida) alumni