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| ==Professional career== | ==Professional career== | ||
| In the ], Sanford was selected as the 231st overall pick in the 7th round by the ].<ref name="draft"></ref> | Sanford follows in the footsteps of another one of his cousins, ]. In the ], Sanford was selected as the 231st overall pick in the 7th round by the ].<ref name="draft"></ref> It was in the ] that cousin Rudd was the 20th pick by Minnesota in the 1st round. | ||
| Another cousin, Eddie Strong also played in the NFL.<ref name="bio"/> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 02:35, 27 April 2009
American football player| Minnesota Vikings | |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| College: | Mississippi |
| NFL draft: | 2009 / round: 7 / pick: 231 |
| Career history | |
Jamarca Deshaun Sanford (born August 27, 1985 in Batesville, Mississippi) is an American football player for the Minnesota Vikings. He was drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the 231st pick. He formerly played college football as a safety for the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi.
Early years
Sanford is the son of James and Shirley Taylor. He attended South Panola High School where in 2003, he helped the Tigers to a 15-0 record, 5A Mississippi state championship and a No. 9 USA Today national ranking as a senior. In that 2003 Mississippi state championship game, he was voted as Most Valuable Player. He had 320 career tackles and 25 QB sacks while playing at South Panola. During his senior year, Sanford had 98 tackles, seven QB sacks, four forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Over the course of Sanford's high school career, he was a Top 40, All-State and All-Region choice by The Clarion-Ledger. Additionally, he picked up Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 5A first team All-State honors as an outside linebacker. He was named to PrepStar All-Region team, which represented the top 275 players. He was ranked number 7 among strong safeties on the 2003 Max Emfinger Super South Top 200 list. He was rated number 19 in Mississippi by Rivals.com. Also, he was listed as a Top 30 Prep Recruit by the The Sun Herald. Sanford was selected to play in the 2004 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic in Mobile, Alabama.
College career
In 2004, Sanford signed with the University of Mississippi. His cousins Toward Sanford, Eddie Strong and Kevin Thomas all played at Ole Miss. However, Sanford did not play in 2004 and was redshirted.
In 2005, Sanford started spring drills as a corner before being moved to linebacker for two days. He was then moved to strong safety and worked his way to the top of the depth chart.
Also in 2005, Sanford was named First Team Preseason Redshirt Freshman All-America by CollegeFootballNews.com as well as Third Team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. He earned First Team Freshman All-SEC honors from the SEC Coaches and The Sporting News. He played in and started 10 games at strong safety, missing only one game. He topped all SEC freshmen in tackles and was 12th among all league DBs at 5.3 stops per game. He ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 58, including 40 solos. He tied for sixth in the conference in fumble recoveries with two. He had one interception and one pass break-up. He helped the Rebel defense finish the season 14th in the nation in pass defense, 27th in total defense and 31st in scoring defense. He also earned his first letter.
In 2006, Sanford started eleven games, seven games at strong safety and four at linebacker. He is credited with 64 tackles and 1.5 QB sacks for the season. He finished fourth on the team in tackles and earned his second letter.
In 2007, Sanford was named 2007 Preseason Third Team All-SEC by Athlon. He started 10 games at strong safety. He was ranked sixth in the SEC at 8.3 tackles per game. He finished third on the team in total tackles with 83 and fourth in tackles for losses with 5.5 and pass break-ups with 4. He also forced two fumbles and blocked a punt. He earned his third letter.
In 2008, Sanford received the 2008 Chucky Mullins Courage Award and wore a number "38" patch on his jersey during his senior season to honor the late Chucky Mullins, whose Ole Miss career as a defensive back came to an end in 1989 when he was paralyzed in a game against Vanderbilt He started all 13 games at strong safety. He served as team captain. He topped the team in solo stops with 56 and ranked second in total tackles with 82. He tied for team lead with two forced fumbles. He also recorded 4.0 tackles for loss and two QB hurries. He helped the Rebel defense rank No. 2 in SEC and No. 4 in the nation in rush defense with 85.5 yards per game. He was honored with the 2008 Leadership Award from the Birmingham Alumni Club. He was named Midseason All-SEC third team by Phil Steele and he earned his fourth letter.
Professional career
Sanford follows in the footsteps of another one of his cousins, Dwayne Rudd. In the 2009 NFL Draft, Sanford was selected as the 231st overall pick in the 7th round by the Minnesota Vikings. It was in the 1997 NFL Draft that cousin Rudd was the 20th pick by Minnesota in the 1st round.
Another cousin, Eddie Strong also played in the NFL.
References
- ^ Jamarca Sanford bio, University of Mississippi, retrieved April 26, 2009.
- Ole Miss: Wallace, Sanford selected on day two of NFL draft
| Minnesota Vikings 2009 NFL draft selections | |
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