Donald "Donnie" Ernsberger (born October 13, 1996) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

. 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 ...

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

College career

Ernsberger played four seasons for the

Western Michigan Broncos football The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I (NCAA), Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, w ...

team, playing both

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

and tight end. He was used primarily as a blocker in the Broncos offense his first three seasons and was named a third-team All-

MAC Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

selection as a junior. As a senior, Ernsberger caught 34 passes for 394 and four touchdowns and was named second-team All-

and participated in the

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl was a postseason college football all-star game for National Football League Draft-eligible players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). In ...

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ernsberger signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

on April 28, 2018. Ernsberger was ultimately waived by the team with an injury settlement during training camp. The Buccaneers later re-signed Ernsberger to their practice squad on November 28, 2018. He was promoted to the Buccaneers active roster on December 18, 2018. On July 31, 2019, Ernsberger was waived by the Buccaneers.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 1, 2019, Ernsberger was claimed off waivers 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 waived by the Jaguars during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.

DC Defenders

On November 22, 2019, Ernsberger was drafted by the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

in the 2020 XFL Supplemental Draft. He signed a contract with the league during mini-camp in December 2019. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

Tennessee Titans

On August 5, 2021, Ernsberger signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. On August 11, 2021, Ernsberger was waived/injured and placed on injured reserve, but was waived off injured reserve on August 14, 2021.

References

External links

Western Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernsberger, Donnie 1996 births Living people Sportspeople from Battle Creek, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan American football tight ends Western Michigan Broncos football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Jacksonville Jaguars players DC Defenders players Tennessee Titans players