Vernon Gholston (born June 5, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2008 NFL draft. Gholston was also a member of the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams.
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| Position: | Defensive end / Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | June 5, 1986 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 264 lb (120 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Cass Technical (Detroit, Michigan) | ||||
| College: | Ohio State (2005–2007) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2008 / round: 1 / pick: 6 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early life
editAs a senior at Cass Technical High School, Gholston emerged as one of the top prospects in the Midwest after registering 75 tackles, including six sacks, as a linebacker and also earning an All-State selection as an offensive guard.
College career
editGholston attended Ohio State University, redshirting in 2005 after suffering a broken left hand in the season opener. In his freshman season he played defensive end, though recruited as a linebacker. He eventually moved up to the number 2 spot behind Mike Kudla.
In 2006, he earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors from both the league's coaches and the media while starting 13 games. Gholston had 49 tackles and his 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, which led the team, included 7.5 quarterback sacks, which ranked second on the team. He also intercepted his first pass in the win over Bowling Green.
On November 3, 2007, Gholston tied two Ohio State team records for quarterback sacks in a game when he dropped Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Donovan four times for a total loss of 32 yards. Two weeks later, he recorded three sacks against the Michigan Wolverines to lead Ohio State to its fourth consecutive win over the Wolverines. During the 2007 season, Gholston recorded 37 tackles (15.5 for a loss) and set a school record with 14 sacks in 13 games, breaking the former record of 13 sacks in a single season set in 1995 by Mike Vrabel.[1] He was named All-America by Pro Football Weekly and was First-team All-Big Ten.
During his tenure at Ohio State, Gholston started 25 games. He finished with 87 tackles (47 solo) and 30.5 stops for a loss. He also had 22.5 sacks, which ranks sixth in school history.
College statistics
edit| Year | GP | Tackles | For Loss | Sacks | Int | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 13 | 49 | 15 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 13 | 37 | 15.5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 31 | 87 | 30.5 | 22.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Awards and honors
editNational
Conference
- 2007 Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year (coaches)
- 2007 All-Big Ten Conference First-team (coaches and media)
- 2006 All-Big Ten Conference Second-team (coaches and media)
Professional career
editPre-draft
editGholston declared for the 2008 NFL draft and was projected as a top 10 pick. He tied the highest bench press score at the NFL combine with 37 repetitions at 225 pounds (102 kg; 16.1 st).[2] Gholston was one of two players to record a quarterback sack against two-time consensus All-American and 2008 NFL Draft number one overall selection Jake Long in Long's NCAA career.[2] Gholston was invited to attend the 2008 NFL draft in New York. He drew comparisons to Kalimba Edwards.[3]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
266 lb (121 kg) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.58 s | 1.59 s | 2.63 s | 4.40 s | 7.12 s | 42 in (1.07 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
37 reps | 21 |
| Vertical Jump and 40-yard dash (and splits) from Ohio State's Pro Day on March 7, 2008. All others from NFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
New York Jets
editGholston was selected by the New York Jets in the first round with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft.[6][7] He was expected to play outside linebacker in the Jets' 3–4 defense with the Jets citing his speed, strength and "long limbs," believing they had found the perfect outside pass rusher for their defense.[8][9] Gholston agreed to terms on a 5-year deal with the Jets on July 24, 2008 reportedly for $32 million, with $21 million guaranteed.
However, Gholston did not play much his rookie season after being expected to start. He saw time mainly on special teams, totalling 13 tackles, 5 solo. In his second year, During the 2009 season, he tallied 17 tackles (12 solo and 2 tackles for loss). Following the 2009 season, Gholston converted from outside linebacker to his more-familiar defensive end position.
Gholston was released by New York on March 2, 2011 after three seasons with the team.
Chicago Bears
editGholston was signed to a contract by the Chicago Bears on July 29, 2011.[10] The Bears waived Gholston on August 29, 2011.[11]
St. Louis Rams
editThe St. Louis Rams signed Gholston on August 22, 2012.[12] The Rams waived Gholston on August 31, 2012.[13]
NFL statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Solo | Assisted | Sacks | Forced fumbles | Fumble recoveries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | NYJ | 15 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | NYJ | 14 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | NYJ | 16 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 45 | 42 | 24 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Personal
editHis younger cousin, William, is a defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Defensive notes". Ohio State University Athletic Department. Retrieved November 18, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Cabot, Mary Kay (February 25, 2008). "Buckeyes DE Vernon Gholston turns heads at Combine". browns247.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ "Pro Football War Room: Vernon Gholston Profile". SportingNews.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
- ^ "Vernon Gholston Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft Scout Vernon Gholston College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Allen, Eric (April 26, 2008). "Gholston a Jet". Retrieved April 26, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Bishop, Greg (April 27, 2008). "Jets Pick Two From the Big Ten, and One's a Big Surprise". New York Times.
- ^ AP.com[dead link]
- ^ McClure, Vaughn (July 29, 2011). "Bears to sign former No. 6 pick Gholston". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 31, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ "Bears RB Taylor not cut – still with team for now". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. August 30, 2011. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ Wagoner, Nick (August 22, 2012). "Rams Finish Camp on Fun Note, Gholston Signed". St. Louis Rams. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
- ^ "Source: Rams cut Vernon Gholston". ESPN. Associated Press. August 31, 2012. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Player Bio William Gholston". Michigan State Football official site. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.