Michael Bercovici (born February 9, 1993) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former

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 ...

who currently serves as an offensive assistant for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

of 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

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

. He signed with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

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 ...

after the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

and has also spent time with 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. The ...

and San Diego Fleet.

Early life

Bercovici was born in Northridge, California. He attended Taft High School in

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. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, he was 240-of-399 passes (60.2%) for 3,755 yards with 37

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s and only nine

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 in 2010, he also recorded 103 rushing yards with three touchdowns. He was rated by

PrepStar ''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazi ...

as the 91st overall prospect in the nation, and the seventh overall quarterback in the nation. He was also ranked the 14th overall pro-style quarterback in the nation by '' Rivals.com''. He was offered an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in June 2010, he accepted the scholarship a week later.

College career

As a true freshman in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Bercovici appeared in three games. He completed 2-of-3 passes for 15 yards. In

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, he

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 the season. As a redshirt sophomore in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, he appeared in four games as holder on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He completed 3-of-4 (75%) for 18 yards and a

quarterback rating Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leagu ...

of 112.8. He also rushed the ball 10 times for 46 yards. As a redshirt junior in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, he appeared in eight games (three starts). He replaced starter Taylor Kelly after Kelly was injured. Becovici complete 115-of-186 (61.8%) for 1,445 yards and 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed the ball 26 times for 16 yards. As a redshirt senior in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, he was named the starting quarterback. He was a

unanimous Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or impl ...

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

and member of the team's leadership council. He started all 13 games. He completed 318-of-531 (59-.9%) for 3,854 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed the ball 109 times for 84 yards. His 30 touchdowns tied the Arizona State school record for most touchdown passes in a single season. His 531 passing attempts set the record for most passing attempts in a single season in school history. On October 4, 2014 Bercovici threw a 46-yard Hail Mary with time expiring to beat USC in the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

38–34. Bercovici ended the game with a record-setting performance, throwing for 510 yards and 5 touchdowns – the most ever thrown by a USC opponent. Bercovici graduated from Arizona State with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

Business management Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

in 2014 and a

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Sports law Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a par ...

and Business in 2015.

Statistics

Professional career

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

After going

undrafted 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 ...

in the

, Bercovici was signed by the

. He was eventually featured on the

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...

show ''Undrafted''. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Chargers during the final roster cuts. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chargers on January 10, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017.

Arizona Cardinals

On October 24, 2017, Bercovici was signed to the

' practice squad. On November 30, 2017, he was released by the Cardinals.

San Diego Fleet

In 2018, Bercovici signed with the

Arizona Hotshots The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their ...

of the newly-formed

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...

, but was later drafted by the San Diego Fleet with their second-round pick in the league's quarterback draft in November. Bercovici began the 2019 AAF season as the Fleet's starting quarterback. In the opener against the

San Antonio Commanders The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home games a ...

, he was hit by Shaan Washington in an impact that knocked his helmet off, but continued to play. Bercovici struggled in the 15–6 loss as he was sacked six times and threw two interceptions before being replaced by Philip Nelson. League offices credited Bercovici for being a

sacrificial lamb A sacrificial lamb is a metaphorical reference to a person or animal sacrificed for the common good. The term is derived from the traditions of the Abrahamic religions where a lamb is a highly valued possession. In politics In politics, a sacri ...

for the league, as the hit provided viral buzz for the league on social media despite an otherwise mediocre on-field product. Nelson was eventually announced as the starter for the following week's game against the Atlanta Legends. In early March, Bercovici returned to the starting role against the

Salt Lake Stallions The Salt Lake Stallions were a professional American football franchise based in Salt Lake City, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began play in February 2019. The Stallions were the northernmost tea ...

after Nelson suffered a clavicle fracture in the previous game and was placed on injured reserve; Bercovici completed 22 of 43 passes for 304 yards with a touchdown and interception, including a 45-yard throw to Dontez Ford on the final drive that set up Donny Hageman's game-winning field goal to clinch a 27–25 San Diego victory. The league ceased operations in April 2019.

Career statistics

Coaching career

In May 2019, Bercovici returned to Arizona State as a graduate assistant. ASU head coach

Herm Edwards Herman Lee Edwards (born April 27, 1954) is an American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players ...

had approached Bercovici about the position in January, but he declined in order to play in the AAF.

Arizona Cardinals

In 2020, Bercovici joined the

' coaching staff as an entry-level assistant to head coach Kliff Kingsbury. On May 10, 2022, Bercovici was promoted to offensive assistant.

Carolina Panthers

For the 2025 season, Bercovici will join the

' coaching staff as an assistant quarterbacks coach/pass game specialist to head coach

Dave Canales David Canales (born May 7, 1981) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Azusa Pacific Cougars football, A ...

References

External links

Arizona State Sun Devils bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bercovici, Mike Living people 1993 births American football quarterbacks American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Arizona Cardinals coaches Arizona Cardinals players Arizona Hotshots players Arizona State Sun Devils football coaches Arizona State Sun Devils football players Jewish American players of American football Los Angeles Chargers players Sportspeople from Calabasas, California People from Northridge, Los Angeles Players of American football from Los Angeles San Diego Chargers players San Diego Fleet players William Howard Taft Charter High School alumni 21st-century American Jews Sports coaches from Los Angeles Jewish American coaches of American football Jews from California Coaches of American football from California