Austin Bryant (born November 12, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

Early life

Bryant attended

Thomas County Central High School Thomas County Central High School is a high school in unincorporated Thomas County, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United S ...

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a histor ...

. He committed to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

to play

College career

As a true freshman at Clemson in 2015, Bryant played in 13 games, recording 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He missed the first six games of his sophomore season in 2016, due to a foot injury. He returned from the injury and recorded 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Bryant became a starter for the first time his junior year in 2017.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Bryant was selected by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

in the fourth round (117th overall) of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on September 2, 2019. He was designated for return on October 30, 2019, and began practicing with the team again. He was activated on November 20, 2019. Bryant was placed on the active/ physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. He was placed on reserve/PUP on September 5, 2020. He was activated on November 7, 2020.

San Francisco 49ers (first stint)

On March 23, 2023, Bryant signed a one-year contract with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. He was released on September 8, 2023, and re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. Bryant was released on November 15.

Minnesota Vikings

On November 21, 2023, Bryant was signed to the

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

practice squad. He was not signed to a reserve/future contract and became a free agent at the end of the season.

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

On January 16, 2024, Bryant was signed to the 49ers' practice squad. He re-signed on February 14, 2024. He was placed on injured reserve on August 9, then released a week later.

References

External links

Clemson Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Austin 1996 births Living people American football defensive ends Clemson Tigers football players Detroit Lions players People from Brooks County, Georgia Players of American football from Thomas County, Georgia San Francisco 49ers players Minnesota Vikings players