Evan Deckers (born February 23, 1999) is an American professional football long snapper for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UMass Minutemen and Duke Blue Devils.

Evan Deckers
No. 86 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1999-02-23) February 23, 1999 (age 25)[1]
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Avon Old Farms
(Avon, Connecticut)
College:UMass (2018–2021)
Duke (2022)
Undrafted:2023
Career history
Roster status:Active

Early life

edit

Deckers played center at Avon Old Farms in Avon, Connecticut. He was rated a two-star recruit as a long snapper by both Rivals.com and 247Sports.[2][3]

College career

edit

UMass

edit

On February 6, 2018, Deckers signed to play college football for the UMass Minutemen.[4] As a true freshman in 2018, Deckers served as one of two primary long snappers in all 12 of UMass’ games.[5] As a sophomore and junior, he appeared in 16 games as the teams’ primary long snapper.[5] Heading into 2021, Deckers was named Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent First Team.[6]

Duke

edit

Prior to the 2022 season, Deckers transferred to play for the Duke Blue Devils.[7] He appeared in 13 games for Duke, helping their kickers convert on 17-of-24 field goals and 52-of-52 point after touchdown (PAT) attempts.[8]

Professional career

edit

On May 12, 2023, Deckers signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.[9] He was waived on August 29, 2023. On December 13, 2023, Deckers was signed to the Buccaneers practice squad.[10] He was released on December 19, 2023.[11] Deckers signed a future contract with the Buccaneers on January 30, 2024.[12]

Deckers beat out Zach Triner for the Buccaneers' long snapper job in 2024.[13]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Evan Deckers". Duke Blue Devils.
  2. ^ "Evan Deckers 2018 Offensive Center". rivals.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. ^ "Evan Deckers, Avon Old Farms , Long Snapper". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  4. ^ "Football Recruiting - Evan Deckers - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  5. ^ a b "Evan Deckers - Football". University of Massachusetts Athletics. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  6. ^ "Minutemen Quartet Tabbed Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent". University of Massachusetts Athletics. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  7. ^ "Duke lands grad transfer Evan Deckers from UMass". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  8. ^ "Evan Deckers - 2022 - Football". Duke University. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  9. ^ "Deckers Joins Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Undrafted Free Agent". Duke University. 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  10. ^ "Bucs make series of roster moves ahead of Week 15". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  11. ^ "Evan Deckers (LS): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.buccaneers.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  12. ^ "Bucs Add Four More to 2024 Roster on Futures Contracts". www.buccaneers.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  13. ^ Stroud, Rick (August 25, 2024). "Bucs release longtime long snapper, son of former Buccaneer and others". Tampa Bay Times.