Michael D. Mauti (born January 19, 1990) 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

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 ...

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

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

, and was selected by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in the seventh round of the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He also played for 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 ...

Early life

Mauti was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. He played high school football at

Mandeville High School Mandeville High School is a public high school located in Mandeville, Louisiana, United States, a suburban city located thirty miles north of New Orleans. It is part of the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools system. Mandeville High School is a co ...

for Coach Guy LeCompte in

Mandeville, Louisiana Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 13,192. Mandeville is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is located direct ...

. He amassed 121

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, four

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...

s, two forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s, and two

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 ...

s returned for touchdowns his senior season. He was ranked as the No. 3

inside 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 lin ...

prospect in the nation and was among

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's Top 150 recruits, and was also a top 20 linebacker by

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. Mauti was invited to play in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Mauti competed as a sprinter. At the 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl T& Classic, he ran the

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

in 23.24 seconds and ran the fourth leg on the 4 × 100m squad, ending with a time of 45.96 seconds. He recorded a personal-best time of 6.93 seconds in the

55 meters 55 may refer to: *55 (number) * 55 BC * AD 55 * 1955 *2055 Science *Caesium, by the element's atomic number Astronomy *Messier object M55, a magnitude 7.0 globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius *The New General Catalogue object NGC ...

at the LSU High School Qualifier and helped lead his 4 × 200m team to a twelfth-place finish with a time of 1:36.13 minutes.

College career

Mauti graduated from high school early and enrolled at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in January 2008, where he would play for the

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. Penn State Nittany Lions, The Nittany Lions compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

team from 2008 to 2012. His extra time with the team paid dividends, with Mauti contributing on defense and special teams right away. He was one of three true freshmen on the team to play in every game, and finished the 2008 season with 26 tackles and a forced fumble. He would make an appearance in the Nittany Lions'

2009 Rose Bowl The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 editio ...

loss, and received the team's Jim O'Hora Award, presented to the defense's most improved player during spring practice. Mauti tore the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his right knee during summer practice, forcing him to take a

medical redshirt 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, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

for the 2009 season. Mauti was highly productive in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, despite battling through nagging injuries. He finished the season with 67 tackles, two sacks, and a pass breakup. He was named

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

Co-Defensive Player-of-the-Week on November 6, recording 11 tackles against Northwestern. Mauti left the game versus

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, and was limited for the rest of the season until playing 59

snaps In the Nordic countries, especially Denmark and Sweden, but not in Iceland, snaps ( , ), among many nicknames, is a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. In Denmark, a snaps will always be akvavit, althou ...

versus

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in the

2011 Outback Bowl The 2011 Outback Bowl, a college football bowl game, matched the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten. The 25th edition of the Outback Bowl, it was played at Raymond James Stadiu ...

. Heading into the 2011 season, Mauti was poised for a breakout year. He was named to ''

Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and no ...

pre-season

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

team and

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pro ...

's pre-season All-Big Ten teams, as well as the

Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athle ...

and

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watch lists. But Mauti again tore an anterior cruciate ligament—this time in his left knee—in Penn State's fourth game of the season against

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

and was lost for the rest of the year. Mauti came back for the 2012 season and during the first four games, Mauti recorded a total of forty tackles. During Week 5 against

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Mauti recorded two interceptions including one which he returned 99 yards, but was stopped at the one yard line with one second to play in the half. Despite missing the last game of the season, due to a third torn ACL, Mauti was named first-team All-Big Ten, first-team All-American, and won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Award for best Big Ten linebacker.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Mauti was selected by the

in the seventh round, 213th overall of the

. The Vikings also selected fellow Penn State linebacker Gerald Hodges in the fourth round, reuniting the teammates in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

. He played for the Vikings for two years, primarily on special teams, before being cut at the end of training camp in 2015.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints claimed Mauti off waivers after Minnesota released him. On October 15, 2015, in a ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to ...

'' game against 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 ...

, Mauti blocked a

Matt Bosher Matthew Bosher (born October 18, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He played colleg ...

punt and returned it for a touchdown. The block was widely compared to a famous punt block made by Saints safety

Steve Gleason Stephen Michael Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is an American former professional football player who played as a safety with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Couga ...

in a 2006 game against Atlanta, in the Saints' first home game after a year in exile in the wake of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. This was especially so because Gleason was present and received an award at the 2015 game, while Mauti himself had attended the 2006 game in person. Mauti had been dealing with the effects of

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary sympto ...

and required surgery that would require him to miss the rest of the 2016 season. He was placed on the non-football injury list on November 15, 2016. On July 24, 2017, Mauti re-signed with the Saints on a one-year deal. He was released on September 2, 2017. He was re-signed on October 17, 2017. On April 5, 2018, Mauti re-signed with the Saints on a one-year contract. He was released on May 16, 2018.

Personal life

Mauti is the son of Rich Mauti, who played

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

at Penn State in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, and in the

for the

(1977–1983) and

Washington Redskins 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) NFC East, East ...

(1984). His brother Patrick was a wide receiver for the Nittany Lions from 2005 to 2009. Mauti earned his degree in crime, law and justice from Penn State in December 2011.

References

External links

*
Penn State Nittany Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mauti, Michael 1990 births Living people People from Mandeville, Louisiana Players of American football from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana American football linebackers Penn State Nittany Lions football players Minnesota Vikings players New Orleans Saints players People with ulcerative colitis