Josh Uche
Josh Uche (born September 18, 1998) is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan.
![]() Uche at Michigan in 2017 | |||||||||||||||
No. 53 – New England Patriots | |||||||||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | September 18, 1998 | ||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Columbus (FL) | ||||||||||||||
College: | Michigan | ||||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2020 | |||||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
Uche was born in 1998, the son of Nigerian immigrants, and grew up in Miami, Florida.[1][2] He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.[1]
College career
Uche attended the University of Michigan on a football scholarship. As a freshman in 2016, Uche tore his meniscus, caught a "bad virus" and appeared in only four games. As a sophomore in 2017, he sustained a stress fracture and saw limited action in 10 games.[2] After the 2017 season, Uche was frustrated with his lack of playing time. He recalled: "I just felt like I was useless at the time. It was just frustrating to me because I wanted to be out there with my teammates, helping, contributing and doing something to just help the team win. When I wouldn't be able to do that, I just questioned if this was the right fit for me."[2] Uche met with defensive coordinator Don Brown to express his frustration and ask for more playing time in 2018.[2] Brown replied bluntly: "Well go earn it, how about that? How about go earn it?"[3]
As a junior in 2018, Uche appeared in 12 games at linebacker.[1] He had eight tackles for loss and led the team with seven sacks.[4] In November 2018, the Detroit Free Press described him as "the most surprising player on the nation's top-ranked defense."[2] Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh described Uche as "highly determined and motivated. He's a really special player as well."[2] At the end of the 2018 season, he received honorable mention from both the coaches and media on the 2018 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[1]
During the 2019 season, Uche recorded a career-high 34 tackles, including 23 solo stops. His 11.5 tackles for loss were second-most on the team, while his 8.5 sacks led the team. Uche's 8.5 sacks was tied for 14th most in a single season in Michigan program history. Following the season, Uche was named to the 2019 All-Big Ten defensive second-team by the coaches. It was announced that Uche would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.[5] His final amateur game was the 2020 Senior Bowl.[6]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | Bench press | ||||||||
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6 ft 1 1⁄4 in (1.86 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
33 5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
9 1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 18 reps | ||||||||
All values from NFL Combine[7] |
Uche was selected with the 60th pick in the 2020 NFL draft by the New England Patriots.[8] He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2020 with a foot injury.[9] He was activated on October 31.[10]
In Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, Uche recorded his first career sack on Lamar Jackson during the 23–17 win.[11] On December 31, 2020, Uche was placed on injured reserve.
References
- "Josh Uche". University of Michigan. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- Orion Sang (November 16, 2018). "How Michigan football's Josh Uche went from benchwarmer to sack star". Detroit Free Press.
- Evan Petzold (August 9, 2018). "Why Josh Uche Wanted to Fight Don Brown After Bowl Loss". USA Today.
- "Josh Uche College Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- "Fourteen Wolverines Honored by Big Ten on Defense and Special Teams". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- Hellman, Sam (February 4, 2020). "Senior Bowl director stumps for Josh Uche as first-round pick". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- "Josh Uche Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- Clements, Devon (April 24, 2020). "Patriots Trade Up, Select LB Josh Uche in 2nd Round". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Patriots Make a Series of Roster Transactions". Patriots.com. September 26, 2020.
- "Patriots Make a Series of Roster Transactions". Patriots.com. October 31, 2020.
- "Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - November 15th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17.