Isaiah Stalbird (born July 16, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
| No. 44 – New Orleans Saints | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | July 16, 2000 Kearney, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Kearney (Kearney, Nebraska) | ||||
| College: | Nebraska (2018–2019) South Dakota State (2020–2023) | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2024 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2024 | |||||
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Early life
editStalbird was born on July 16, 2000, and grew up in Kearney, Nebraska.[1] He attended Kearney High School where he competed in football, soccer and wrestling.[1] He was a two-way player in football and helped the team reach the state finals in his senior year while being their leader in receiving yards, touchdowns, and fumble recoveries.[2] He had 393 receiving yards and six touchdowns, 77 tackles, four fumble recoveries, and two interceptions in his last year, being selected first-team All-Nebraska by the Omaha World-Herald and Super-State team by the Lincoln Journal Star.[1] He walked-on to play college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[3]
College career
editStalbird redshirted as a true freshman at Nebraska in 2018.[1] The following year, he appeared in 12 games, mainly on special teams, and made 13 tackles and a blocked punt.[4] After the 2019 season, he transferred to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.[3]
Stalbird appeared in all 10 games for South Dakota State during the 2020–21 season, helping them reach the FCS national championship while totaling 30 tackles and four pass breakups.[5] Initially a safety with the Jackrabbits, he switched to linebacker for the fall 2021 season.[6] He started 14 of 15 games that year and was second on the team with 73 tackles, also being tied for the lead with two forced fumbles.[5] In 2022, he started 10 games and was third on the Jackrabbits with 55 tackles and was also third with four pass breakups.[5] Stalbird helped South Dakota State win the 2022 national championship over North Dakota State.[7] He played a final season for the team in 2023 and won another national championship, ending the 2023 season with 80 tackles, three sacks and five pass breakups.[8] He ended his collegiate career with 238 tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), 18 pass deflections, and five forced fumbles.[9]
Professional career
edit| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m) |
221 lb (100 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.50 s | 1.50 s | 2.59 s | 4.19 s | 7.23 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Stalbird signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.[11] He was also selected in the 10th round (78th overall) of the 2024 UFL draft by the Michigan Panthers.[12] He was waived by the Saints on August 27, 2024, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[13][14] He was elevated to the active roster on September 14, for the team's Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys, and made his debut in the game, recording one tackle while appearing on 14 special teams snaps.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Isaiah Stalbird". Nebraska Cornhuskers.
- ^ Slepicka, Justin (December 2, 2022). "Former KHS standout Stalbird has championship hopes on No. 1 South Dakota State". Kearney Hub.
- ^ a b Sautter, Mike (December 18, 2019). "Kearney grad, former Husker walk-on Isaiah Stalbird transfers to South Dakota State". Omaha World-Herald.
- ^ "After early growth as a Husker, Isaiah Stalbird takes flight at national title hopeful South Dakota State". The Mercury. May 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Isaiah Stalbird". South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
- ^ Zimmer, Matt (September 30, 2021). "Former Cornhusker Isaiah Stalbird making impact at South Dakota State after move to linebacker". Argus-Leader – via archive.ph.
- ^ Shively, Michael (January 11, 2023). "Kearney native Isaiah Stalbird celebrating national championship at SDSU". News Channel Nebraska.
- ^ Zimmer, Matt (March 27, 2024). "SDSU Pro Day: Isaiah Stalbird steals the show in front of NFL scouts". Mitchell Daily Republic – via Yahoo Sports.
- ^ Camer, Jonny (July 26, 2024). "Countdown to Kickoff: Isaiah Stalbird is Saints Player of Day 44". USA Today.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Isaiah Stalbird College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with 16 undrafted free agents". New Orleans Saints. April 27, 2024.
- ^ Kern, Mason (July 18, 2024). "Kearney High alum selected in United Football League College Draft". KSNB-TV.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". New Orleans Saints. August 27, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". New Orleans Saints. August 28, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". New Orleans Saints. September 14, 2024.
- ^ "Isaiah Stalbird Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.