Vladimir Ducasse

Vladimir Ducasse (/ˈvlædɨmɪər duːˈkɑːs/; Haitian Creole pronunciation: [vladimiɣ dikas]; born October 15, 1987) is an Haitian-born American football offensive lineman for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the 2nd round, as the 61st overall pick.

High school career

A native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Ducasse moved to the United States in 2002.^[1] He attended Stamford High School in Stamford, Connecticut, where he played offensive line and was named First Team All-State by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association. He also earned First Team All-Fairfield County by the FCIAC Coaches.

Ducasse was not rated by any recruiting service, and neither drew the attention of any Division I Bowl Subdivision college.^[1] He chose to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

College career

As a true freshman at UMass, Ducasse saw action in four games as a reserve offensive lineman. In his sophomore year he became the starter at left tackle, started 12 of 13 games in 2007 and aided UMass' line in allowing just 15 quarterback sacks in his 12 games.

In his junior season, Ducasse started all games at left tackle and was part of offensive line that has allowed just six sacks, the fewest in the Colonial Athletic Association (0.5 per game) and second in the NCAA. Ducasse finished his career with 35 consecutive starts at left tackle. In those 35 games, UMass has allowed just 39 sacks and had a 100-yard rusher in 23 of those games. He was named a FCS First Team All-American by the Associated Press.^[2]

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Ducasse was considered one of the best offensive guard prospects available in the 2010 NFL Draft.^[3] He worked out at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, New Jersey in order to prepare himself for the NFL combine.^[4] He scored 13 on the Wonderlic intelligence test.^[5]

Ducasse was selected in the 2nd round (61st overall) by the New York Jets, as the first non-BCS-eligible player drafted in 2010. He is the first UMass football player drafted by the NFL since linebacker Khari Samuel in 1999, and the highest Minuteman taken since Greg Landry was the 11th pick overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1968 NFL Draft.

New York Jets

Immediately after the Jets selected Ducasse, they released Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca.^[8] Ducasse and Matt Slauson, a second-year backup, competed for Faneca's old job in training camp that season.^[9] On July 7, he was signed by the Jets to a four-year deal worth $3.25 million, including a signing bonus just over $1 million.^[10]

Performing well in training camp, Ducasse earned the starting job at left guard during the 2013 NFL season. However, due to poor play and penalties, he lost the starting job to rookie Brian Winters.^[11]

Personal

Vladimir Ducasse is the son of Delinois Ducasse, an accountant for the Bank of the Republic of Haiti. His mother died when he was 5. He has an older brother, Macarthur, and two younger siblings, Jeffrey and Jemima. Vladimir and Macarthur moved to Connecticut in 2002 to live with his aunt and uncle Virginia and Lezanoro Ducasse. The rest of his family still resides in Haiti and was affected by the 2010 earthquake.^[12]

References

External links

• New York Jets bio
• UMass Minutemen bio