Kurt Benkert (born July 17, 1995) 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

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

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 ...

for the

East Carolina Pirates The East Carolina Pirates are the sport, athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA ...

and

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...

. He signed with 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 ...

of the

(NFL) 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 ...

following the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

; he was also a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. After being assigned to the Houston Roughnecks, he announced he would not play for the league, but was traded to the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

midway through the season.

Early years

Benkert attended Cape Coral High School in

Cape Coral, Florida Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957, the city's population had grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 census, a 26% increase from 154,309 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-most p ...

, and transferred to Island Coast High School in Cape Coral prior to his senior year. As a senior, he passed for 2,261 yards with 20 touchdowns. He committed to

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

to play college football.

College career

After redshirting his first year at East Carolina in 2013, Benkert appeared in three games in 2014, completing eight of 10 passes for 58 yards and an

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

. He was named East Carolina's starting quarterback heading into 2015, however he suffered a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

before the season. In May 2016, he transferred to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. In his first year at Virginia, Benkert was named the starting quarterback. He completed 228 of 406 passes for 2,552 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In the third game of his senior season in 2017, Benkert broke the school record for passing yards in a game with 455.

College statistics

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Benkert signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on December 31, 2018. On August 6, 2019, Benkert was placed on injured reserve after suffering a toe injury in the preseason. On September 5, 2020, Benkert was waived by the Falcons and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on November 21 for the team's week 11 game against 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 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021, but was waived on February 18, 2021.

Green Bay Packers

On May 17, 2021, Benkert signed with the

. On August 31, 2021, Packers released Benkert as part of their final roster cuts. He was signed to the practice squad the next day. Benkert was elevated to the active roster on December 7, 2021, to replace Jordan Love, who had been 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 the day before. He saw the field for the first time in his professional career on December 12,

kneeling Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. According to Merriam-Webster, kneeling is defined as "to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor". Kneeling with only one knee, and not both, is ca ...

the ball twice in the closing seconds of a 45–30 win over the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. On January 25, 2022, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers. On June 17, Benkert was released by the Packers.

San Francisco 49ers

On September 20, 2022, Benkert signed with the

practice squad. He was released on October 12. He re-signed to the team's practice squad on October 18, 2022. On November 15, 2022, Benkert was released from the team again.

San Antonio Brahmas

On December 12, 2022, Benkert was assigned to the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. In a public statement, Benkert stated that, after initially seeking to join the league, he had chosen not to sign a contract, stating that it "no longer feels like the right (opportunity) to pursue" and that the decision was "the fault of no one" with Benkert stating he would instead spend spring 2023 out of football with his family. The Roughnecks retained his rights in the league. On March 23, 2023, the Roughnecks traded Benkert's player rights to the

following an injury to Reid Sinnett. Benkert's debut in the XFL came in relief of starter Jawon Pass. Benkert completed one of his six attempts for two yards and an interception in the team's 15–9 win over the

Arlington Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMah ...

. He earned his first start for the team's following game against the

Vegas Vipers The Vegas Vipers were a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vipers competed in the XFL (2020–2023), XFL football league. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment as the Tampa Bay V ...

. He started the game off by throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Fred Brown. Late in the first half Benkert was hit following a throw and suffered three broken ribs, but did not leave the game. He was eventually taken out late in the fourth in favor of Pass. Benkert was placed on the Reserve List on April 4, 2023. Benkert announced his retirement on August 26, 2023.

Professional career statistics

NFL career statistics

XFL career statistics

Esports career

Benkert signed with

Spacestation Gaming Spacestation Gaming (also referred to as SSG) is a multi-regional professional esports organization based in Utah, founded and owned by social media influencer Shaun " Shonduras" McBride. Since its founding, SSG has grown to include teams in eig ...

. He is an alternate for the Spacestation Gaming ''

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

'' team.

Personal life

Benkert married Samantha Morreal on July 2, 2016. The two have a daughter together.

YouTube career

On April 1, 2017, Benkert started his YouTube channel. On April 8, 2021, he uploaded his first video Titled "Kurt Benkert 2017 College Highlights." As of December 29, 2024, he has over 310,000 subscribers and over 80,000,000 views. Benkert's content mostly focuses on playing or teaching the popular video game series

Madden NFL ''Madden NFL'' (known as ''John Madden Football'' until 1993) is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Orlando for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has ...

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benkert, Kurt 1995 births Living people American football quarterbacks Atlanta Falcons players Green Bay Packers players San Francisco 49ers players East Carolina Pirates football players Sportspeople from Cape Coral, Florida Players of American football from Lee County, Florida Virginia Cavaliers football players American Twitch (service) streamers San Antonio Brahmas players Sports YouTubers