Gabe Ikard (born September 26, 1990) 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 ...

center 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 was signed by 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

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 2014. He played college football at Oklahoma and spent parts of four seasons on the active rosters of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

and

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) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

. Ikard was a radio host of “The Franchise Players” on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City. He also co-hosts “Big 12 Today” on Big 12 Radio (SiriusXM channel 375).

High school career

Ikard attended Bishop McGuinness High School in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

. He had 29 receptions for 542 yards and nine touchdowns as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

in 2008, and also recorded 68 tackles and two interceptions, including six sacks and one defensive touchdown. He was named district 4A-1 Defensive Player of the Year, and earned ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th large ...

'' Little All-City Defensive Player of the Year. Considered a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', he was rated as the 15th best

prospect in the nation. He committed to Oklahoma over offers from Oklahoma State,

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

and

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

College career

After redshirting in 2009, Ikard would become the starting

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right ...

for Oklahoma in the final 12 games of the 2010 season, while appearing in all 14. In 2011, he started the first three games at left guard before sliding over to center for seven games due to an injury, then returning to left guard for the final three games of the season. He was named a third-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n by the

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and first-team All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

. In 2012, he played in 12 games, starting all 12 at center, while earning first-team All-

honours once again. In his final season in 2013, he started all 13 games while being named first-team All-

for the third consecutive season. During his tenure, he was named an Academic

n three times, and was named the

Academic All-American of the Year List of Academic All-America Team Members of the Year is a list of the annual selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America and its Academic All-America sponsor of the individual athlete selected as the most outstanding of the ...

in 2013.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Ikard signed with the

as an

in 2014. He spent his entire rookie season 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 th ...

following a knee injury in the preseason. He was released during final roster cuts in 2015.

Buffalo Bills

On September 6, 2015, Ikard was claimed off waivers by the

. On December 5, 2015, the

released Ikard.

Cleveland Browns

On December 7, 2015, the

claimed Ikard off waivers from the

after placing

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

Joel Bitonio on injured reserve. Ikard was waived on December 14, 2015 and was replaced by

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

Kaleb Johnson.

Detroit Lions

On December 15, 2015, the

signed Ikard to the active roster after cutting right guard LaAdrian Waddle and placing

Brandon Pettigrew Brandon Dennard Pettigrew (born February 23, 1985) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Oklahoma State. He was drafted in the first round (20th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, and spent his e ...

on injured reserve. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Lions.

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On September 5, 2016, Ikard was signed to the Bills' practice squad. On September 15, 2016, Ikard was promoted to the Bills' active roster He was released on October 21, 2016.

Cleveland Browns (second stint)

Ikard was claimed off waivers by the Browns on October 24, 2016. On August 28, 2017, Ikard was released by the Browns.

Denver Broncos

On October 26, 2017, Ikard was signed to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

' practice squad. He was released on December 5, 2017.

New Orleans Saints

On December 20, 2017, Ikard was signed to 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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 16, 2018. On April 5, 2018, Ikard announced his retirement from professional football, citing discomfort with having to maintain a weight over and a general frustration with how his NFL career turned out.

Radio career

In summer of 2017, before he was signed to the Denver Broncos, Gabe Ikard joined the "Franchise Players" radio show on local

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

radio station 107.7 The Franchise with fellow Sooner Kelly Gregg

References

External links

Oklahoma Sooners bioTennessee Titans bioDetroit Lions bioBuffalo Bills bioCleveland Browns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikard, Gabe 1990 births Living people All-American college football players American football centers Buffalo Bills players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players New Orleans Saints players Oklahoma Sooners football players Players of American football from Oklahoma City Tennessee Titans players