A. J. Green
Encyclopedia
Adriel Jeremiah "A. J." Green (born July 31, 1988) is an American football
wide receiver
for the Cincinnati Bengals
of the National Football League
. He was selected fourth overall by the Bengals in the 2011 NFL Draft
. Green played college football
at the University of Georgia
.
team" at his elementary school, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
that he learned to juggle balls and props as early as second grade. Green said it helped his hand-eye coordination a lot from an early age. He's able to juggle four balls and various props such as juggling clubs.
in Summerville, South Carolina
, where he played under legendary coach John McKissick
.
Green was widely considered to be one of the top football prospects of the 2008 high school class. Standing 6 in 4 in (193.04 cm) and 205 lb (93 kg). He earned All-State honors four times and was named by EA Sports
the nation's top sophomore player after catching 75 passes for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2006 season. He hauled in 57 passes for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. In his junior season, Green caught 60 passes for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns. Green was the only junior nominated to the 2006 USA Today
All-American first team. He was also a member of the Rivals.com
Junior All-America team.
A. J. Green's 5,373 career receiving yards rank second and his 279 career receptions rank fourth on the National Federation of High Schools’ football all-time career receiving records.
In June 2006, Green was profiled by Sports Illustrated
as part of its “Where Will They Be?” stories on potential future professional greats, alongside Peter Uihlein
, John Tavares, Tyreke Evans
, Elena Delle Donne
, and others. Sports Illustrated compared him to the then-Oakland Raiders
wideout Randy Moss
and predicted Green will be in the NFL by 2011.
Rivals.com
ranked Green their #9 prospect for the high school class of 2008, while Scout.com
named Green their #10 prospect nationally. He participated in the Under Armour All-America Game
.
Green was also on the Summerville High basketball team that claimed the 2007–2008 South Carolina state championship in a championship game against Spartanburg (S.C.) High. (Spartanburg made a 3/4 court shot at the end of the game, but the shot was disallowed by the referees after discussion). They had played in the memory of their fallen assistant coach, Captain Louis Mulkey (Engine 15) of the Charleston, SC F.D., who died along with eight other firefighters in the June 18, 2007, Charleston Sofa Super Store fire
. The story of the Summerville High team was featured on Sportscenter on December 2, 2008.
in October 2006. He made his commitment official by signing a letter of intent to play at Georgia on February 6, 2008.
, Green had 8 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. For this, he was named SEC
Player of the Week.
He finished the 2008 season with 56 catches for 963 yards and 8 touchdowns, all Georgia
freshman school records. He also led the SEC in receiving yards, with the third-highest total in UGA school history. He was named second-team All-SEC and Freshman of the Year by the SEC coaches, and was named to the Associated Press All-SEC first team. He was not named to any national All-American teams.
Green returned from injury for the 2009 Independence Bowl
, December 28, 2009 in Shreveport, LA
where he made 6 catches totaling 57 yards.
On January 9, 2011, Green officially declared for the 2011 NFL Draft
.
in the 2011 NFL Draft
. On July 28, 2011, Green came to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $19.6 million.
On September 11, 2011, during Cincinnati's week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns
, Green only had one reception, a 41 yard touchdown catch from Bruce Gradkowski
with 4:31 left in the game to help Cincinnati win 27-17. In his second game as a professional, Green caught 10 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown versus the Denver Broncos
.
On October 9, 2011, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the fifth game of the season, Green was targeted eight times by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton
with five catches, for a team-best 90 yards receiving and a touchdown. The touchdown was his third of the season and came on a 37-yard pass to end the Bengals' opening drive. The Bengals' win over Jacksonville marked Green's first win at what was then EverBank Field, after three earlier losses on the same field to the Florida Gators
while Green played with the Georgia Bulldogs
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was selected fourth overall by the Bengals in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. Green played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
.
Early years
Green was on the "jugglingJuggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
team" at his elementary school, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
that he learned to juggle balls and props as early as second grade. Green said it helped his hand-eye coordination a lot from an early age. He's able to juggle four balls and various props such as juggling clubs.
High school career
Green attended Summerville High SchoolSummerville High School
- History :In 1924, a brick building on Main Street, which is now Rollings Middle School of the Arts, was the only high school in the Summerville area. As Summerville’s population increased rapidly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a larger campus was needed. In 1969, the present building on...
in Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley, and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area as designated for statistical purposes by the U.S. Office...
, where he played under legendary coach John McKissick
John McKissick
John McKissick is the football coach of Summerville High School in Summerville, South Carolina. In 2004, he became the first American football coach in history to win 500 career games. His 500th win came against Mount Pleasant's Wando High School...
.
Green was widely considered to be one of the top football prospects of the 2008 high school class. Standing 6 in 4 in (193.04 cm) and 205 lb (93 kg). He earned All-State honors four times and was named by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
the nation's top sophomore player after catching 75 passes for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2006 season. He hauled in 57 passes for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. In his junior season, Green caught 60 passes for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns. Green was the only junior nominated to the 2006 USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-American first team. He was also a member of the Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
Junior All-America team.
A. J. Green's 5,373 career receiving yards rank second and his 279 career receptions rank fourth on the National Federation of High Schools’ football all-time career receiving records.
In June 2006, Green was profiled by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
as part of its “Where Will They Be?” stories on potential future professional greats, alongside Peter Uihlein
Peter Uihlein
Peter Uihlein is an American amateur golfer. He was a member of the victorious U.S. team at the 2009 Walker Cup, where he compiled a 4-0 match record. A junior at Oklahoma State University, Uihlein won the 2010 U.S...
, John Tavares, Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
, Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne is an American college basketball and volleyball player at the University of Delaware.Delle Donne was a high school basketball player at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware. She led Ursuline to three straight Delaware State Championship titles and was ranked as the...
, and others. Sports Illustrated compared him to the then-Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
wideout Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
and predicted Green will be in the NFL by 2011.
Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
ranked Green their #9 prospect for the high school class of 2008, while Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
named Green their #10 prospect nationally. He participated in the Under Armour All-America Game
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, 2008 and is annually been played at the Citrus Bowl...
.
Green was also on the Summerville High basketball team that claimed the 2007–2008 South Carolina state championship in a championship game against Spartanburg (S.C.) High. (Spartanburg made a 3/4 court shot at the end of the game, but the shot was disallowed by the referees after discussion). They had played in the memory of their fallen assistant coach, Captain Louis Mulkey (Engine 15) of the Charleston, SC F.D., who died along with eight other firefighters in the June 18, 2007, Charleston Sofa Super Store fire
Charleston Sofa Super Store fire
The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire occurred on June 18, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, in which a flashover and structural collapse contributed to the deaths of nine Charleston firefighters.-Fire and collapse:...
. The story of the Summerville High team was featured on Sportscenter on December 2, 2008.
College career
Green verbally committed to attend the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in October 2006. He made his commitment official by signing a letter of intent to play at Georgia on February 6, 2008.
2008 season
In the fourth game of his college career, against Arizona StateArizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, Green had 8 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. For this, he was named SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Player of the Week.
He finished the 2008 season with 56 catches for 963 yards and 8 touchdowns, all Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
freshman school records. He also led the SEC in receiving yards, with the third-highest total in UGA school history. He was named second-team All-SEC and Freshman of the Year by the SEC coaches, and was named to the Associated Press All-SEC first team. He was not named to any national All-American teams.
2009 season
Green ended the 2009 regular season with 47 catches for 751 yards and 6 touchdowns, despite being injured the last three games of the season.Green returned from injury for the 2009 Independence Bowl
2009 Independence Bowl
The 2009 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl was the thirty-fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game started at 5:00 PM US EST on Monday, December 28, 2009...
, December 28, 2009 in Shreveport, LA
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
where he made 6 catches totaling 57 yards.
2010 season
Green was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 regular season after he admitted to selling his 2009 Independence Bowl Jersey for $1,000 to former North Carolina defensive back Chris Hawkins, who the NCAA described as an agent or someone who markets amateur athletes. As part of his punishment, Green was required to repay $1,000 to a charity. Despite missing the first four games, Green finished the season with a team high 57 catches for 848 yards and nine touchdowns.On January 9, 2011, Green officially declared for the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
.
Cincinnati Bengals
Green was the fourth overall draft pick by the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. On July 28, 2011, Green came to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $19.6 million.
On September 11, 2011, during Cincinnati's week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Green only had one reception, a 41 yard touchdown catch from Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is an American Football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo.Gradkowski has previously been a member of the Tampa...
with 4:31 left in the game to help Cincinnati win 27-17. In his second game as a professional, Green caught 10 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown versus the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
On October 9, 2011, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the fifth game of the season, Green was targeted eight times by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton (American football)
Andrew Gregory Dalton is an American professional football quarterback for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at Texas Christian University...
with five catches, for a team-best 90 yards receiving and a touchdown. The touchdown was his third of the season and came on a 37-yard pass to end the Bengals' opening drive. The Bengals' win over Jacksonville marked Green's first win at what was then EverBank Field, after three earlier losses on the same field to the Florida Gators
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
while Green played with the Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
.