Charles Davis Tull (born November 12, 1991) is an American former 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 ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. 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

Chattanooga Mocs The Chattanooga Mocs (formerly the Chattanooga Moccasins) are the 16 teams representing the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in intercollegiate athletics. The Mocs compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and ...

and was selected by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in the fifth round of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

College career

The Mocs were back to back Southern Conference champions from 2013 to 2014. Tull played

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 ...

and

and started a school-record 48 straight games. As a

true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

in 2011, he was voted to the conference All-freshman team as well as the College Sports Journal

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...

(FCS) freshman

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

team. In his sophomore season, he recorded 12.5 sacks and 19

tackles for loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

, breaking school single season records for both. He was voted a first-team All-American by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...

and AFCA and multiple fan sites. He received second-team All-American recognition from the Sports Network and

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. He was also voted Defensive player of the year for the conference by the coaches and media and won the school's male athlete of the year award. Coming into his junior year

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pro ...

ranked Tull as the number 1 defensive end and number 6 overall player in the nation for the FCS. During the Mocs game against Furman that year, Tull had 3.5 sacks and 2 forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

and was named national defensive player of the week by the Sports Network. He led the UTC Mocs to a co-conference championship and after the season was voted a consensus first-team All-American by every major publication, making Tull the first Unanimous All-American in school history. He broke the school's all-time sack record and was again voted the conference defensive player of the year by the league's coaches. He was awarded the elite defensive end award from the CPFA and also became UTC's first academic All-American in football by having above a 3.5 grade point average in Exercise Science. He finished his junior season as a finalist for the Buch Buchanan award, given annually to the top defensive player in FCS. He is UTC's all-time sack, tackles for loss, and forced fumble leader. His senior season was again filled with awards leading UTC to a 2nd consecutive championship while earning unanimous first team All-American honors, Chattanooga's Male Student Athlete of the Year, first team academic All-American from Capital One, first team All-Southern Conference, the Champion Within Award from the

Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame which honors athletes, teams, coaches, sports writers, and sports executives for their contributions to sports in the state of Tennessee. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 19 ...

, Athlete of the Year from the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame, Southern Conference defensive player of the year, and the Southern Conference Male Athlete of the Year. Tull is the SoCon’s all-time sack leader with 37.0 and Chattanooga's all-time tackle-for-loss leader with 60.0. He was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014, becoming the second player in SoCon history to be named defensive player of the year three times; the first was Appalachian State’s

Dexter Coakley William Dexter Coakley (born October 20, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football in Division I-AA for the Appalachian Stat ...

from 1994 to 1996. He was named a finalist for the

Buck Buchanan Award The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was ...

in both 2013 and 2014.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Tull was invited to th
East West Shrine Bowl Game
by

Shriners Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children, commonly known as Shriners Children's, is a network of non-profit children's hospitals and other pediatric medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuri ...

showcasing the best senior

all-stars in the country and the

NFL combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

where he set the all-time

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

record for his defensive line position at 42.5. He was ranked number 7 out of 177

outside linebackers Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

by NFLdraftscout.com.

New Orleans Saints

Tull was selected in the fifth round of the

(148th overall) by the

. He later signed to a 2.5 million dollar four-year contract and placed on the Saints 53-man roster. He was placed on the

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 ...

early in the season. On September 3, 2016, Tull was waived by the Saints.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 21, 2016, Tull was 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 ...

of the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was released on October 4, 2016 and re-signed on October 11. He was released on November 8, 2016.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Tull signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

on May 26, 2017. On July 4, 2017, the Roughriders released Tull.

Los Angeles Rams

On August 18, 2017, Tull signed with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He was waived on September 2, 2017.

Memphis Express

Tull signed with the

Memphis Express The Memphis Express was a professional American football Franchise (sports), franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Lib ...

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...

in 2018 for the 2019 season. He started every game at strong side linebacker before the league folded into bankruptcy in 2019.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 9, 2019, Tull was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He was released with an injury settlement during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019. Tull was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in the 2020 XFL Draft, but did not sign with the league.

References

External links

Chattanooga Mocs football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tull, Davis 1991 births Living people Chattanooga Mocs football players Players of American football from Knoxville, Tennessee American football linebackers American football defensive ends New Orleans Saints players Atlanta Falcons players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Los Angeles Rams players Memphis Express (American football) players Jacksonville Jaguars players Players of Canadian football from Tennessee Canadian football defensive linemen