Jace Amaro

Last updated

Jace Amaro
Jace Amaro (131109-F-QP712-103) (cropped).jpg
Amaro with Texas Tech in 2013
No. 88
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1992-06-26) June 26, 1992 (age 31)
New Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school: Douglas MacArthur (San Antonio, Texas)
College: Texas Tech
NFL draft: 2014  / Round: 2 / Pick: 49
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:41
Receiving yards:404
Receiving touchdowns:2
Player stats at PFR

Jace Jordan Amaro (born June 26, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2013. He was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Contents

Amaro spent most of his rookie season with the Jets in 2014 as a backup before missing the entire 2015 season to injury, leading to his release prior to the 2016 season. He was then acquired by the Tennessee Titans, but only played in three games in 2016 before being released prior to the 2017 regular season. After an offseason stint with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, Amaro spent a year away from football before being drafted by the Seattle Dragons of the XFL in 2020, but never signed with the team.

Early years

Born in New Fairfield, Connecticut, Amaro attended MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball and track. He played as a tight end for the MacArthur Brahmas football team, and was an honorable mention All-State selection, first-team All-Area and first-team District 26-5A. He suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury during his junior year. [1] As a senior, he made 56 receptions for 887 yards with 11 touchdowns. He helped lead the basketball team to state quarterfinals appearance. [2]

Also a standout track & field athlete, Amaro broke a 23-year-old District 26-5A shot put record with a throw of 18.88 meters (61 ft, 10 in). [3] He also won the 2010 regional track meet and earned a silver medal with a second-place finish at the state meet. He got a top-throw of 50.75 meters (166 ft, 4 in) in the discus throw at the 2010 District 26-5A, where he took second. [4]

Regarded as a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com , Amaro was ranked as the No. 3 tight end in his class and No. 52 in Rivals Top 100. [5] He was named USA Today and PrepStar First-team All-America, and was ranked in the top five for tight ends in the Dave Campbell's Top 300.

College career

Amaro attended Texas Tech University from 2011 to 2013. During his college career, he earned unanimous All-American honors and set the record for Division I (NCAA) single season receiving yards by a tight end in 2013.

Freshman

In his freshman year, Amaro had 7 catches for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore

In his sophomore year, Amaro started off his first game against Northwestern State with 4 catches for 49 yards. The next week at Texas State, he was able to pull in 3 balls for 55 yards and a touchdown. Against New Mexico, he had 4 catches for 57 yards and two more scores. Against Iowa State, he had four catches for 48 yards and zero scores. Against Oklahoma, he had 3 catches for 29 yards. His best game of the season occurred when Texas Tech upset the then #3 West Virginia; he pulled in 5 catches for 156 yards and 1 touchdown.

During the West Virginia game, Amaro received an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season after receiving a hard hit to his midsection jumping for a ball. He briefly returned to the game and made 2 receptions after halftime before being unable to continue. The injury was later revealed to be a Grade III (I-V) spleen laceration and a fractured rib. The injury caused internal bleeding, requiring hospitalization and 6.5 units of blood. [6] Amaro was bedridden for three weeks. [1]

Despite only playing 6 regular season games, Amaro was named a 1st Team All-Big 12 Conference player by ESPN. He finished his sophomore season with 25 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns. [7]

Amaro sufficiently recovered from his injury to appear in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas against Minnesota, in which he was ejected for punching a defender. Due to his earlier injury, Amaro had been unable to practice until the week of the game. [1]

Junior

Snubbed by the John Mackey Award in its pre and midseason watchlists, [8] Amaro started the 2013 season strong, leading the country at his position in receptions and reception yards through 7 games as well as leading the country in reception yardage on third down. His performance garnered a midseason 1st team All-American listing from CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated , Athlon Sports, USA Today, and FOX Sports. [9] [10] Following a 136 receiving-yard and 2-touchdown performance over West Virginia, Amaro earned Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. [11] Amaro accompanies former Texas Tech All-American wide receiver Michael Crabtree as the only Red Raiders to ever record eight or more receptions in six consecutive games. [12]

Amaro broke the 1,000 receiving yards mark following a loss to Oklahoma State on November 2, 2013. Amaro exceeded his career receptions and reception yard highs with 15 and 174 respectively, and was two receptions shy of tying the NCAA single-game record for receptions by a tight end. In the following games against Kansas State and Baylor, Amaro received significant injuries. A hit during the Kansas State game forced him to be carted off the field, before later returning briefly. In the subsequent game against Baylor, Amaro received a high hit to the shoulder from safety Ahmad Dixon. The hit required Amaro to again return to the locker room with an injury. [13]

Amaro completed the regular season 90 yards and 14 receptions short of setting NCAA FBS records for single season tight end receiving yards and receptions, with an opportunity to set the records in an appearance in the 2013 Holiday Bowl. [14] Amaro broke the single season tight end receiving record during the game, and finished his Holiday Bowl performance with 8 receptions and 112 yards. [15] With the completion of the season, Amaro's 104 receiving yards per game also set an NCAA single season record for the tight end position.

Amaro was named a semi-finalist for the John Mackey and Fred Biletnikoff Awards in November, becoming the first player to be listed for both awards since Missouri's Chase Coffman in 2008. [16] [17] Amaro was also named a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, given to the best offensive player with Texas ties. [18] On November 25, 2013, it was announced that Amaro was not named a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in college football, leading several media personalities including CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd to criticize the Award's validity. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] At the point at which the finalist list was announced, Amaro had only 16 fewer receptions than the three finalists combined.

The Associated Press (AP) and Big 12 Coaches named Amaro a unanimous 2013 All-Big 12 first-team selection on December 9, 2013. [25] He was additionally named a 1st Team All-American at the tight end position by Bleacher Report, USA Today, CBS Sports, Sporting News , Athlon Sports, SB Nation, the AP, Sports Illustrated and the Walter Camp Foundation. [26] [27] [28] [29] Amaro became a Unanimous All-American with his 1st team selection by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America on December 18, 2013, the first Red Raider to earn the honor since Michael Crabtree in 2008. Only 5 Red Raiders overall have earned unanimous All-American honors: Mark Bounds in 1991, Zach Thomas in 1995, Byron Hanspard in 1996, and Michael Crabtree in 2007-08. [30]

Amaro announced his intention to declare for the draft following the Red Raiders upset victory over Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. [31] [32] [33]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+3⁄8 in
(1.97 m)		265 lb
(120 kg)		34 in
(0.86 m)		9 in
(0.23 m)		4.74 s1.64 s2.76 s4.3 s7.42 s33 in
(0.84 m)		9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		28 reps
All values from NFL Combine [34]

Amaro lowered his 40 time to a 4.60 at his pro day. [35]

New York Jets

Amaro was selected 49th overall by the New York Jets in the 2014 NFL draft and was the third tight end selected after Eric Ebron and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. [36] He was signed on May 16, 2014. [37] In his 2014 rookie season, Amaro had 38 receptions for 345 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.

On September 1, 2015, it was revealed that Amaro had a torn labrum, an injury from landing awkwardly during the first preseason game against the Lions. The injury required surgery, prematurely ending his 2015 season. [38]

The Jets waived Amaro on September 3, 2016 for final roster cuts before the start of the season. He is considered to be another on a long list of disappointing draft picks for the Jets. [39]

Tennessee Titans

Amaro was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans on September 4, 2016. [40]

He started with the Titans as their third tight end on their depth chart, behind veterans Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano. [41] On September 25, 2016, Amaro made his debut with the Titans and made three receptions for 59 receiving yards in a 17–10 loss to the Oakland Raiders. [42]

On September 2, 2017, Amaro was waived by the Titans for the final roster cuts. [43]

Kansas City Chiefs

On January 9, 2018, Amaro signed a reserve/future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. [44] He was released on September 1, 2018 for the final roster cuts. [45]

XFL

Amaro was selected by the Seattle Dragons of the XFL in the 4th round of the 2020 XFL Draft. [46] He was on their reserve list prior to the season and was never signed. [47]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesReceiving
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
2014 NYJ 144383459.1432
2015 NYJ Did not play due to injury
2016 TEN 3035919.7260
Total174414049.9432

Source: [48]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath Miller</span> American football player (born 1982)

Earl Heath Miller Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons from 2005 to 2015. Miller played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the John Mackey Award. The Steelers selected him in the first round with the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kliff Kingsbury</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech, finishing in the top three in several school passing records before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He later played for other teams before entering coaching in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Peelle</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Justin Morris Peelle is a former American football tight end and coach who is the tight ends coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Fasano</span> American football player (born 1984)

Anthony Joseph Fasano is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Fasano also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, and Miami Dolphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Crabtree</span> American football player (born 1987)

Michael Alex Crabtree Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, twice earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected 10th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2009 NFL Draft. Crabtree was a member of the 49ers for six seasons and spent the remainder of his career with the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, and Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Coffman</span> American football player (born 1986)

Chase Allen Coffman is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors and the John Mackey Award as the best college tight end in the country in 2008. He was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Cook</span> American football player (born 1987)

Jared Alan Cook is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Thomas</span> American football player (born 1988)

Julius Dewayne Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and basketball at Portland State, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Eifert</span> American football player (born 1990)

Tyler Gregory Eifert is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, receiving first-team All-American honors and winning the John Mackey Award as the top college tight end in 2012. Eifert was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Seferian-Jenkins</span> American football player (born 1992)

Austin Edward Seferian-Jenkins is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at Washington. He also played for the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big 12 Conference. Kliff Kingsbury led the Red Raiders in his first season as the program's fifteenth head coach. The Red Raiders played home games on the university's campus in Lubbock, Texas at Jones AT&T Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mychal Rivera</span> American football player (born 1990)

Mychal Rashawn Rivera is a former American football tight end. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Griffin (tight end)</span> American football player (born 1990)

Ryan Francis Griffin is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Connecticut, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also previously played for the New York Jets.

Eric Ward is a former American football wide receiver. Ward played at the college level for Texas Tech

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Waller</span> American football player (born 1992)

Darren Charles Waller is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He is the great-grandson of composer and jazz pianist Fats Waller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonnu Smith</span> American football player (born 1995)

Jonnu Andre Smith is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at FIU and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. After four seasons with the Titans, he joined the New England Patriots in 2021, and was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalton Schultz</span> American football player (born 1996)

Dalton Chase Schultz is an American football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jace Sternberger</span> American football player (born 1996)

Jace Evan Sternberger is an American football tight end for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Kansas, and Texas A&M, where he was named a consensus All-American in 2018 with the latter. Sternberger was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Football Team, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster Moreau</span> American football player (born 1997)

Foster Moreau is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and played for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Bryant</span> American football player (born 1998)

Harrison Bryant is an American football tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic, where he was a unanimous All-American and won the John Mackey Award. Bryant was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ubben, David (October 17, 2013). "Amaro healthy and coming up big for Texas Tech". Fox Sports Southwest. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Jace Amaro Bio - Texas Tech Red Raiders Official Athletic Site". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Jace Amaro".
  4. ↑ "District 26-5A HS - Results". Athletic.net. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ Halley, Jim. "Junior tight end Jace Amaro and Texas Tech proving doubters wrong". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Jace Amaro Bio". Texas Tech University. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  8. ↑ Ubben, David (July 9, 2013). "Big 12 tight ends snubbed on Mackey list". ESPN. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ "CBSSports.com 2013 Midseason College Football All-America Team". CBS Sports . October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Mariota, Barr headline SI.com's 2013 Midseason All-America Team". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Amaro, Lackey and Stewart Named Big 12 Football Players of the Week". Big 12 Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  12. ↑ Greenspan, Dan. "Jace Amaro adds to prolific pace to keep Texas Tech undefeated". NFL.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ Volk, Pete (November 16, 2013). "Jace Amaro injury: Texas Tech tight end helped off field after hard hit". SBNation . Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  14. ↑ Griffin, Tim (December 13, 2013). "Jace Amaro makes two All-American teams". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Webb's 4 touchdown passes tie Holiday Bowl record". ESPN. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  16. ↑ Fornelli, Tom (November 18, 2013). "Biletnikoff Award announces its 10 semifinalists". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  17. ↑ Beal, Blayne (November 18, 2013). "Tech's @J_ACER22 named semifinalist for Mackey Award & Biletnikoff. 1st since Mizzou's Chase Coffman in '08 to be semifinalist for both". Twitter . Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Amaro named semifinalist for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award". KCBD. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  19. ↑ Greenspan, Dan. "Texas Tech's Jace Amaro hints at return after Mackey snub". NFL.com. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  20. ↑ Brock, Cameron. "Amaro Named Unanimous All-American". Scout.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  21. ↑ Graham, Mike (November 25, 2013). "Jace Amaro is left off the Mackey Award finalist list; Will it motivate him to come back?". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  22. ↑ Dodd, Dennis. "Twitter" . Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Twitter". Dave Campbell's Texas Football . Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  24. ↑ Huguenin, Mike. "Jace Amaro's omission is biggest awards blunder". NFL.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  25. ↑ "2013 AP All-Big 12 Team". Associated Press. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  26. ↑ Myerberg, Paul (December 11, 2013). "USA TODAY Sports' All-America college football team". USA Today. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  27. ↑ Chambers, Randy. "Bleacher Report's 2013 College Football All-America Team". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2013 All-America Team" (PDF). Walter Camp Foundation. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Jameis Winston, Aaron Donald lead SI.com's 2013 All-America Team". Sports Illustrated. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Three repeat as AP All-Americans". Associated Press. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  31. ↑ Sanchez, Josh (November 27, 2013). "Texas Tech's Jace Amaro drawing comparisons to Jermichael Finley". Fansided.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  32. ↑ Edholm, Eric. "2014 NFL Draft report; TTU's Amaro could be top tight end if he leaves school early". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  33. ↑ Pirtle, Krista (December 31, 2013). "Texas Tech TE Amaro dominates in final game as Red Raider, declares for NFL draft". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Jace Amaro Stats, News and Video - TE". NFL.com .
  35. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ↑ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  37. ↑ "New York Jets sign rookie tight end Jace Amaro". NFL. May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  38. ↑ Alper, Josh (September 2015). "Jets place Jace Amaro on injured reserve". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  39. ↑ Shook, Nick (September 3, 2016). "Jets waive Dee Milliner, Jace Amaro". NFL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  40. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (September 4, 2016). "Titans Claim Jets TE Jace Amaro, Release DL Mehdi Abdesmad". TitansOnline.com.
  41. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Tennessee Titan's Depth Chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  42. ↑ "NFL Player Profile: Jace Amaro". NFL.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  43. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (September 2, 2017). "Titans Down to 53 Players: A Position-by-Position Look". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Chiefs sign TE Jace Amaro to reserve/futures deal". USAToday.com. January 10, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Chiefs Roster Down to NFL-Mandated 53". Chiefs.com. September 1, 2018.
  46. ↑ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  47. ↑ Gaydos, Ryan (February 6, 2020). "Seattle Dragons: What to know about this XFL team". FoxWilmington.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  48. ↑ "Jace Amaro Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.