Emari Demercado (born January 20, 1999) is an

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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at Saddleback before transferring to TCU and was signed 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 ...

by the Cardinals after the

2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29 ...

Early life

Demercado grew up in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

going to middle school at Century Community Charter School in the heart of Inglewood. He also attended Downey High School. He committed to play college football at

Saddleback College Saddleback College (Saddleback) is a public community college in Mission Viejo, California. It is part of the California Community College system and awards over 300 associate degrees, academic certificates, and occupational skills awards in ...

, a junior college in Mission Viejo, California. He is of Jamaican descent.

College career

Demercado played one year at Saddleback, rushing for 1,026 yards, and 15 touchdowns. He also brought in 54 receptions for 443 yards and two touchdowns. On May 6, 2018, Demercado committed to

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...

. Demercado would play for five years at TCU. During his time as a Horned Frog he racked up 1,615 rushing yards, and 10 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and through the air he caught 40 passes, for 277 yards, and a touchdown. Demercado's best season occurred in 2022 where he recorded 121 carries for 681 yards and six touchdowns; he also had 13 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Demercado had a breakout game in TCU's first

playoff game The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

where he rushed for a career high 150 yards, he also added on a run got 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Demercado also rushed for 59 yards in the National Championship Game. After the season Demercado declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Professional career

After not being selected in the

, Demercado signed with the

as an

. On August 29, 2023, the Cardinals announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio

Saddleback Bobcats bio

TCU Horned Frogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demercado, Emari 1999 births Living people Players of American football from Inglewood, California American football running backs American sportspeople of Jamaican descent Saddleback Gauchos football players TCU Horned Frogs football players Arizona Cardinals players African-American players of American football 21st-century African-American sportspeople