Jeremy Kerley

Jeremy Kerley

Kerley with the TCU Horned Frogs
No. 12 Detroit Lions
Position:	Wide receiver Punt returner
Personal information
Date of birth:	November 8, 1988
Place of birth:	Austin, Texas
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:	Hutto (TX)
College:	TCU
NFL draft:	2011 / Round: 5 / Pick: 153
Career history
New York Jets (2011–2015) Detroit Lions (2016–present)
Career highlights and awards
AFC Punt Return Yards Leader (2015) AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1, 2012) First-Team All-American Returner Purpose First-Team All-Mountain West Returner Purpose Second-Team All-Mountain West Wide Receiver
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Receptions: 182 Receiving yards: 2,225 Receiving touchdowns: 9 Total return yards: 1,268 Return touchdowns: 1 Player stats at NFL.com

Jeremy Dashon Kerley^[1] (born November 8, 1988) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at TCU.

Early years

Kerley attended Hutto High School in Hutto, Texas, where he was a letterman in four sports, Kerley took his high school football team to the state finals in 2005 where he and his team faced Tatum and lost by a mere 3 points despite a great game performance by Kerley.^[2] His letterman included football and baseball.^[3] He played pitcher and centerfielder in baseball. At quarterback, Kerley led his football team to its first state championship game as a junior.^[2]

Also a standout track athlete, Kerley was one of the state's top performers in the jumping events. He was a four-time state finalist in the triple jump. He qualified for the state track meet in the long jump (7.26 m) and triple jump (14.76 m), winning silver medals in both events. He was also a member of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

He was recruited by the University of Texas and Stanford University to play baseball,^[4] and by the University of Oklahoma to play football, but ultimately decided to play college football for Texas Christian University.^[2]

College career

Kerley was converted to wide receiver and return specialist at TCU after playing quarterback in high school. Following the 2009 season, Kerley was named Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year^[5] after breaking the conference record for punt return yards in a season with 563 yards.^[4] He had ten touchdown catches, one touchdown pass, and two rushing touchdowns in 2010. He ranked second in the nation in punt returns and third in the nation in kickoff returns.^[6]

He was named the Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year for the second consecutive year in 2010, as well as second-team All-Mountain West honors at wide receiver.^[7] Kerley was one of three finalists in 2010 for the Paul Hornung Award, which honors the most versatile college football player in the nation.^[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Kerley was projected to be drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.^[8]

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
5 ft 9½ in	189 lb	4.56 s	1.58 s	2.63 s	3.99 s	6.70 s	34½ in	10 ft 0 in	16 reps
Shuttle and 3-cone values from Pro Day workout on March 11, all other values from 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.[8]

New York Jets

Kerley was selected with the 153rd pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.^[9] He caught his first career touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez against the New England Patriots on October 9, 2011.

During the home opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 9, 2012, Kerley got his first career punt return touchdown. After Tim Tebow requested to be removed from the wildcat formation, Kerley took his place, and threw a 42-yard pass, though the Jets lost to the San Diego Chargers 17-27.^[10]

On October 21, 2014, Kerley agreed to a 4-year, $16 million contract extension with $5.4 million guaranteed.

Kerley ended the 2015 season in career-highs in punt returns (48) and punt return yards (411).^[11]

On March 9, 2016, Kerley was released.

Detroit Lions

On March 21, 2016, Kerley signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions.^[11]

Career Stats

Year	Team	Games	Receptions	Targets	Receiving Yards	Yards per Reception	Longest Reception	Receiving Touchdowns	First Downs	Fumbles	Fumbles Lost
2011	NYJ	14	29	46	314	10.8	38	1	19	0	0
2012	NYJ	16	56	96	827	14.8	66	2	31	2	1
2013	NYJ	12	43	72	523	12.2	26	3	30	0	0
2014	NYJ	16	38	75	409	10.8	33	1	20	0	0
2015	NYJ	16	16	26	152	9.5	25	2	8	0	0
Total	Total	74	182	315	2,225	12.2	66	9	108	2	1

^[12]

Personal

Kerley's parents are Charlotte and Donald Kerley and Kerley has a son, Dae'shon.^[2] Kerley is married to Kristal Juarez.

References

1. "ESPN Profile". ESPN.com.
2. Bennett, Brian (December 30, 2010), TCU's Jeremy Kerley can do it all, ESPN, archived from the original on May 1, 2011, retrieved April 16, 2011.
3. Watson, Graham (January 3, 2010). "TCU's Kerley is thinking about baseball". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
4. Adelson, Andrea (November 2, 2010). "TCU, Utah feature top special teams". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
5. Watson, Graham (December 1, 2009). "TCU dominates all-MWC team". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
6. Adelson, Andrea (March 4, 2011). "Non-AQ Top 25 Players: No. 12". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
7. Adelson, Andrea (November 30, 2010). "Andy Dalton headlines MWC awards". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
8. Jeremy Kerley, NFL Draft Scout, archived from the original on May 1, 2011, retrieved April 16, 2011.
9. Lange, Randy (April 30, 2011). "Jets Trade Up in Round 5, Take WR Kerley". New York Jets. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
10. Hanzus, Dan (2012-12-23). "Tim Tebow reportedly asks out of Jets' Wildcat". National Football League. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
11. "Lions sign free agent WR Jeremy Kerley". www.detroitlions.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
12. "Jeremy Kerley Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

External links

• New York Jets bio
• TCU Horned Frogs bio