Channing Jevante Ward (born September 17, 1992) is a former
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 wit ...
defensive tackle. He played
college football at
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
. Ward now coaches the defensive line at
New Albany High School in
New Albany, Mississippi
New Albany is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Mississippi, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,626.
History
New Albany was first organized in 1840 at the site of a grist mill and saw mi ...
.
Early life and high school career
He was born in 1992 in Aberdeen, Mississippi to parents Bob Evans and Cora Ward. He played football at
Aberdeen High as a
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 formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...
. Ward's high school career included numerous awards and recognition. Among his distinctions Ward was listed No. 2 on
The Clarion-Ledger
''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...
's Top Ten Most Wanted List. The Ledger also awarded him first-team All-State honors during his junior and senior years.
College career
Ward committed to the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...
and first played in 2012. As a defensive end on special teams, Ward played every game during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and played as a backup defensive end on special teams during the 2014 season. After the 2015 season, Ward finished with 4 game starts and career highs of 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 3 passes defended. While at Mississippi, Ward majored in
Criminal Justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
Professional career
Ward signed with the
Buccaneers
Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 1688 ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2016. He made the Buccaneers' initial 53-man roster, playing in five games with one start over nine weeks and recording five tackles before being released on November 16, 2016. He was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted back to the active roster on December 29, 2016.
On September 5, 2017, Ward was waived by the Buccaneers and was re-signed to the practice squad on September 14. He was promoted to the active roster on December 20, 2017.
On July 25, 2018, Ward was waived by the Buccaneers with a non-football injury designation after suffering a torn patellar tendon. He was released on September 19, 2018.
In October 2019, Ward was drafted by the
St. Louis BattleHawks
The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha ...
in the
2020 XFL Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social ...
. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
References
External links
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Channing
1992 births
Living people
People from Aberdeen, Mississippi
Players of American football from Mississippi
American football defensive ends
Ole Miss Rebels football players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
St. Louis BattleHawks players