HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jaylon O'Neal Ferguson (December 14, 1995 – June 21, 2022) was an American 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 ...
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 ...
who played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). 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 ...
at
Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – Hig ...
before being selected by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the third round of the
2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
. He played three seasons with the Ravens.


Early life

Ferguson attended West Feliciana High School in
St. Francisville, Louisiana St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,557 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. History The current town of St. Fr ...
, where he played football and basketball for four years.


College career

Ferguson
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...
ed his first year at Louisiana Tech in 2014. In 2015, he played in 12 games with five starts and recorded 35 tackles and six
sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...
s. As a sophomore in 2016, he set the school record for sacks in a season with 14.5. As a junior in 2017, Ferguson had 38 tackles and seven sacks. He returned to Louisiana Tech for his senior year in 2018. During the season he broke the school record for career sacks and broke his own school record for sacks in a single-season with 17.5. Ferguson became the
Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
career sack leader during the
2018 Hawaii Bowl The 2018 Hawaii Bowl was a college football bowl game being played on December 22, 2018, in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the 17th edition of the Hawaii Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. This was the ...
, and was also named winning-team MVP of that game. In February 2019, the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) rescinded their invitation to Ferguson to attend the
NFL Scouting 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 ...
after discovering his misdemeanor simple battery conviction from 2015.


College statistics


Professional career

Ferguson was selected by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the third round (85th overall) of the
2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
. On July 19, 2019, Ferguson was placed on the reserve/NFI list with a hamstring injury. He was removed two days later. On September 22, 2019, Ferguson made his NFL debut, recording 18 snaps against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. He recorded his first-career tackle two weeks later against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
. He made his first NFL start on November 3 against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. On November 17, Ferguson recorded his first-career sack against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
, bringing down
Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...
in the second quarter. Three weeks later, he recorded his second sack against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, sacking
Josh Allen Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming Cow ...
. In Week 4 of the 2020 season against the
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Ferguson recorded his first sack of the season on
Dwayne Haskins Dwayne Haskins Jr. (May 3, 1997 – April 9, 2022) was an American professional American football, football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons and played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes f ...
during the 31–17 win. Ferguson was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
list by the Ravens on November 28, 2020, and activated two days later. In the 2020 season, Ferguson started in one game and appeared in 14 total, finishing the season with 2.0 sacks and 30 tackles. In 2021, Ferguson appeared in 10 games, recording six tackles but no sacks.


Personal life and death

Ferguson had a son and two daughters with his fiancée. Ferguson died in Baltimore on June 21, 2022, at the age of 26. Police indicated that while the death was "questionable", there were initially no signs of foul play or trauma. The next day, the Ravens released a statement stating: "We are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Jaylon Ferguson. He was a kind, respectful young man with a big smile and infectious personality. We express our heartfelt condolences to Jaylon's family and friends as we mourn a life lost much too soon." His death was later declared to be caused by the combined effects of
fentanyl Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...
and
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
, and it was ruled that the death was accidental. Ferguson's brother, Jazz Ferguson, formerly played for 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 ...
of the XFL.


References


External links


Baltimore Ravens bio

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Jaylon 1995 births 2022 deaths American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers Baltimore Ravens players Cocaine-related deaths in Maryland Drug-related deaths in Maryland Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players Sportspeople from Zachary, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana Accidental deaths in Maryland