Jermaine Gresham
Encyclopedia
Jermaine Gresham is an American football
tight end
for the Cincinnati Bengals
. He was drafted by the Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
, despite the fact that he had missed all of the previous season with a knee injury.
standout at wide receiver
from Ardmore High School in Ardmore, Oklahoma
.
During his sophomore year Gresham helped the Tigers go 10-2, and had the game clinching 29-yard touchdown
in a 13-0 win against Ada
, a 28-yard game sealing touchdown against Altus
to win 21-8, and 168 yards receiving on six catches, including a 74-yard touchdown pass, in a 23-16 loss to Shawnee
, He finished the season with 11-touchdowns on 26-receptions
, and was named "Best receiver" by the Daily Oklahoman for the 2003 season.
His senior year he had 70 catches for 1,175 yards and 24 touchdowns and was named to the Parade All-American team. Helped the Tigers go 12-0 before losing in the 5A state semifinals to Bixby
. In the quarter-final win over Coweta
, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) in his left knee.
Had 148 career catches and was ranked as the No. 34 overall prospect in 2005 by rivals.com
.
player before giving it up after the ACL knee injury, and to pursue his career in football as an Oklahoma Sooner.
Gresham started on the Ardmore basketball team as a 6′4″ freshman center. He averaged 10.1 points-per-game (PPG) and 6.7 rebounds-per-game (RPG) on a team led by senior point guard
Lionel Brown. The Tigers made it all the way to the 2003 Class 5A state final against Oklahoma City John Marshall
, losing 50-46, to a team led by J. R. Giddens
. The John Marshall victory avenged a 68-58 loss to Ardmore in the area championship just a week earlier.
The Ardmore Tigers returned to the Class 5A boys basketball final game for 2004, but lost to the Oklahoma City Southeast
Spartans, 60-55, and finished with a 25-3 record. Ardmore led 52-42 with 4:39 to play, but turnovers
by Ardmore and three-pointers
by Southeast put the Spartans on a 18-3 run to win the title. Gresham (as a sophomore) led the team with an 11.8 PPG season average, added 7.5 RPG, and had 17-points and 15-rebounds in the championship final game. Gresham was named to the Class 5A First team at center, and "Best bench player", averaging 16.3 PPG for the state tournament. He and teammate Rodney Fuller were named to the All-Southern Conference basketball team for 2003-2004.
As a junior he helped lead his team to the 2005 Class 5A state tournament semifinals with a 17.3 PPG season average, losing to Tulsa Washington High School 71-61 (a team that included Felix Jones
). In the game Gresham stole the ball and dunked it making the score Tulsa Washington-37 Ardmore-34 with 5:25 left in the third quarter, but he was penalized with a technical foul
for hanging on the rim. This sparked Tulsa Washington to a 17-6 run to end the quarter at 54-40, and Ardmore never got any closer than nine (with 26 seconds remaining) the rest of the way. He averaged 26.5 points-per-game (PPG) in the state tournament his junior season and was named to the Class 5A Boys All-Tournament First Team, including a career-high 39-points in a quarterfinal 78-74 win over Oklahoma City John Marshall. For the season he shot 62 percent from the field, averaged 10.2 rebounds, had 21 points, 27 rebounds and 11 assists against Tulsa's Nathan Hale in a regional final, was named All-State second team (all classes), and was named the starting center to the Class 5A All-State team. He was also named the Southern Conference Boys' Player of the Year.
He didn't play his final year; at the end of the football season (after tearing his ACL in the next to last game against Coweta, but playing hurt in the final game against Bixby), and start of the basketball season, he underwent surgery December 9, 2005, that ended his senior basketball season.
for the 2005 season, Gresham received interest from many top college football
programs, including the Oklahoma Sooners
, Oklahoma State Cowboys
, Miami Hurricanes
, LSU Tigers
, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes
, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers
. National analyst Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com called Gresham a "slam-dunk" prospect along with Oklahoma City Southeast
defensive lineman Gerald McCoy
. He only made three recruiting visits; the first to USC, which he said was "too Hollywood" for him, Miami, and Oklahoma. Gresham was also going to visit LSU on January 20, 2006, but at the last minute Les Miles reportedly withdrew a scholarship offer.
He really liked the tradition of tight ends at Miami (Bubba Franks
, Jeremy Shockey
and Kellen Winslow Jr.), as well as the camaraderie and closeness of the players there, but in the end it came down to being close to family and friends. His mother, Walletta, would have a hard enough time getting to Norman to see him play. He also loved the way his Oklahoma recruiters, Kevin Sumlin
and Jackie Shipp
, interacted with their own families. He signed with the Sooners on February 1, 2006, the National Letter of Intent
day.
21st overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a five-year deal on August 2, 2010.
Gresham was the Bengals starting tight end for the first 15 games of the year, and finished with 52 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns. His 52 receptions set a franchise record for catches by a rookie tight end and ranked him third on the team (tied with Jordan Shipley
).
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...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
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...
. He was drafted by the Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
, despite the fact that he had missed all of the previous season with a knee injury.
Football
Gresham was a high schoolHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
standout at 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...
from Ardmore High School in Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
.
During his sophomore year Gresham helped the Tigers go 10-2, and had the game clinching 29-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
in a 13-0 win against Ada
Ada, Oklahoma
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,008 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the city population was estimated at 17,019....
, a 28-yard game sealing touchdown against Altus
Altus, Oklahoma
Altus is a city in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County....
to win 21-8, and 168 yards receiving on six catches, including a 74-yard touchdown pass, in a 23-16 loss to Shawnee
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
, He finished the season with 11-touchdowns on 26-receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
, and was named "Best receiver" by the Daily Oklahoman for the 2003 season.
His senior year he had 70 catches for 1,175 yards and 24 touchdowns and was named to the Parade All-American team. Helped the Tigers go 12-0 before losing in the 5A state semifinals to Bixby
Bixby, Oklahoma
Bixby is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is a suburb of Tulsa. The population was 13,336 at the 2000 census and 20,884 in the 2010 census. It is nicknamed "The Garden Spot of Oklahoma" for its rich agrarian heritage...
. In the quarter-final win over Coweta
Coweta, Oklahoma
Coweta is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States and is a suburb of Tulsa. As of 2010, the population was 9,943.-History:Before statehood, when the Five Tribes or Five Civilized Tribes were moved to Oklahoma from the Eastern United States, the area that is now Coweta became part of the...
, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL) in his left knee.
Had 148 career catches and was ranked as the No. 34 overall prospect in 2005 by 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...
.
Basketball
He was also an outstanding basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player before giving it up after the ACL knee injury, and to pursue his career in football as an Oklahoma Sooner.
Gresham started on the Ardmore basketball team as a 6′4″ freshman center. He averaged 10.1 points-per-game (PPG) and 6.7 rebounds-per-game (RPG) on a team led by senior point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
Lionel Brown. The Tigers made it all the way to the 2003 Class 5A state final against Oklahoma City John Marshall
John Marshall High School (Oklahoma)
John Marshall High School is a public high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It educates students from grades 6-12 and had 744 enrolled students in 2007-2008.-Notable alumni:...
, losing 50-46, to a team led by J. R. Giddens
J. R. Giddens
Justin Ray Giddens is an American professional basketball player for PAOK Thessaloniki B.C.. The shooting guard was selected out of the University of New Mexico by the Boston Celtics with the 30th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft...
. The John Marshall victory avenged a 68-58 loss to Ardmore in the area championship just a week earlier.
The Ardmore Tigers returned to the Class 5A boys basketball final game for 2004, but lost to the Oklahoma City Southeast
Southeast High School (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Southeast High School is a high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that opened in 1950. The school closed in 1990, but was reopened and remodeled in 1994 as a magnet school with an emphasis on four technology programs offered at the school...
Spartans, 60-55, and finished with a 25-3 record. Ardmore led 52-42 with 4:39 to play, but turnovers
Turnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...
by Ardmore and three-pointers
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
by Southeast put the Spartans on a 18-3 run to win the title. Gresham (as a sophomore) led the team with an 11.8 PPG season average, added 7.5 RPG, and had 17-points and 15-rebounds in the championship final game. Gresham was named to the Class 5A First team at center, and "Best bench player", averaging 16.3 PPG for the state tournament. He and teammate Rodney Fuller were named to the All-Southern Conference basketball team for 2003-2004.
As a junior he helped lead his team to the 2005 Class 5A state tournament semifinals with a 17.3 PPG season average, losing to Tulsa Washington High School 71-61 (a team that included Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
). In the game Gresham stole the ball and dunked it making the score Tulsa Washington-37 Ardmore-34 with 5:25 left in the third quarter, but he was penalized with a technical foul
Technical foul
In basketball, a technical foul is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct...
for hanging on the rim. This sparked Tulsa Washington to a 17-6 run to end the quarter at 54-40, and Ardmore never got any closer than nine (with 26 seconds remaining) the rest of the way. He averaged 26.5 points-per-game (PPG) in the state tournament his junior season and was named to the Class 5A Boys All-Tournament First Team, including a career-high 39-points in a quarterfinal 78-74 win over Oklahoma City John Marshall. For the season he shot 62 percent from the field, averaged 10.2 rebounds, had 21 points, 27 rebounds and 11 assists against Tulsa's Nathan Hale in a regional final, was named All-State second team (all classes), and was named the starting center to the Class 5A All-State team. He was also named the Southern Conference Boys' Player of the Year.
He didn't play his final year; at the end of the football season (after tearing his ACL in the next to last game against Coweta, but playing hurt in the final game against Bixby), and start of the basketball season, he underwent surgery December 9, 2005, that ended his senior basketball season.
College career
As the top rated tight end and the number 34 overall prospect by Rivals.comRivals.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...
for the 2005 season, Gresham received interest from many top 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...
programs, including the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
, Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
, LSU Tigers
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
. National analyst Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com called Gresham a "slam-dunk" prospect along with Oklahoma City Southeast
Southeast High School (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Southeast High School is a high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that opened in 1950. The school closed in 1990, but was reopened and remodeled in 1994 as a magnet school with an emphasis on four technology programs offered at the school...
defensive lineman Gerald McCoy
Gerald McCoy
McCoy was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 3rd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. McCoy and the Buccaneers agreed to a five-year, $63 million contract on July 31, 2010.-Tampa Bay Buccaneers:...
. He only made three recruiting visits; the first to USC, which he said was "too Hollywood" for him, Miami, and Oklahoma. Gresham was also going to visit LSU on January 20, 2006, but at the last minute Les Miles reportedly withdrew a scholarship offer.
He really liked the tradition of tight ends at Miami (Bubba Franks
Bubba Franks
Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 14th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Charles Shockey is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
and Kellen Winslow Jr.), as well as the camaraderie and closeness of the players there, but in the end it came down to being close to family and friends. His mother, Walletta, would have a hard enough time getting to Norman to see him play. He also loved the way his Oklahoma recruiters, Kevin Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin
-External links:*...
and Jackie Shipp
Jackie Shipp
Jackie Renardo Shipp is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League. He is currently the defensive line coach for the Oklahoma Sooners football team. He has been on the Sooners' coaching staff since the arrival of Bob Stoops in 1999.Shipp played high school...
, interacted with their own families. He signed with the Sooners on February 1, 2006, the National Letter of Intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
day.
College statistics
Source: Espn.com| YEAR | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | |
| 2006 | 8 | 161 | 20.1 | 41 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 37 | 518 | 14.0 | 43 | 11 | |
| 2008 | 66 | 950 | 14.4 | 73 | 14 | |
Professional career
Gresham has been named "the most dynamic tight end at Oklahoma since Keith Jackson." He was drafted 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...
21st overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a five-year deal on August 2, 2010.
Gresham was the Bengals starting tight end for the first 15 games of the year, and finished with 52 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns. His 52 receptions set a franchise record for catches by a rookie tight end and ranked him third on the team (tied with Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
).
External links
- Cincinnati Bengals bio
- Oklahoma Sooners bio
- Gresham "Willing to do Anything" - video interview by NFL.com