Colt Lyerla

Colt Lyerla
No. --  Free agent
Position: Tight End
Personal information
Date of birth: November 13, 1992
Place of birth: Hillsboro, Oregon
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: Hillsboro (OR)
College: Oregon
Undrafted: 2014
Career history
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Stats at NFL.com

Colt Keliikoa Lyerla (born November 13, 1992) is an American football tight end who is currently a Free Agent of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Oregon, he was a tight end at the University of Oregon for the Ducks but left in October 2013 due to personal reasons. He was born and raised mainly in the Portland metropolitan area and joined the Ducks for the 2011 season. He signed with the Green Bay Packers after going undrafted during the 2014 NFL Draft.

Early life

Lyerla was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, on November 13, 1992, to Roger and Tammy Lyerla, with the family later moving to Hawaii and then Vancouver, Washington.[1][2][3] His parents divorced in 2001, and he moved to Gladstone, Oregon, before moving back to Hillsboro in 2003.[1] In Hillsboro, he attended Hillsboro High School, where he played both football and basketball for the Spartans.[1][4] On the football team he played both ways as a running back on offense and linebacker on defense, winning a state championship in 2009.[1][5] That season he was named as The Oregonian's top offensive player at the 5A classification after he ran for 1,543 yards with 26 touchdowns, along with 843 yards and 13 touchdowns receiving as a junior.[6][7][8]

During the 2009 season he caught a 61-yard Hail Mary pass at the end of the game against rival Glencoe High School to win the game;[8] the play made ESPN's SportsCenter as the play of the week.[9] The next year as a senior, he rushed for 1,519 yards on 133 carries[10][11] and was selected as a first team all-state selection by The Oregonian as a running back, and second team as a linebacker.[12] Lyerla was recruited by teams such as the Southern California Trojans, the California Bears, the Miami Hurricanes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the Texas Longhorns,[1][6][13] but committed to the University of Oregon while at the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[14] Lyerla had garnered recruiting attention prior to his junior year after performing well during summer recruiting camps,[15] and had offers from over 30 schools before making his commitment.[8]

College years

Lyerla graduated early from high school and enrolled at Oregon in the spring of 2011 so he could take part in spring practices.[1] During the team's spring game he had 3 catches for 37 yards while playing tight end.[16] As a true freshman for the 2011 season, he played tight end and caught 7 passes for 147 yards and 5 touchdowns.[17][18][19]

For the 2012 season, Lyerla earned the starting tight end position, and part-way into the season also saw playing time at the running back position.[20][21] Lyerla finished the season with 25 receptions for 392 yards and 6 touchdowns, and also rushed for 77 yards and 1 touchdown.[22]

In March 2013 Lyerla tweeted in support of a theory that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was part of a government conspiracy to advance gun control policies. The tweet was denounced by the University of Oregon as "insensitive and offensive."[23] Lyerla later apologized.[24]

During the 2013 season Lyerla missed the game against Tennessee and was then suspended for the game against Colorado before quitting the team on October 6, 2013.[25] He ended the season with 3 runs for 17 yards, including a touchdown, and 2 receptions for 26 yards in two games.[25] After leaving the team he was arrested and later pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of cocaine.[26]

Professional career

Lyerla went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers on May 19, 2014 as a undrafted free agent.[27] On August 2, 2014 at the Packers annual Family Night practice Lyerla tore the posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his right knee when trying to hurdle a defender during a non-contact practice.[28] Initially placed on the Packers injured reserve list, Lyerla was waived with an injury settlement on August 26, 2014 that pays him through Week 8 of the season. Per NFL rules Lyerla cannot sign with another team until after week 8 and cannot rejoin the Packers until week 14 of the season.[29] Lyera was arrested on Saturday September 6, 2014 at 2:52 a.m. for the crime of DUII. Mr. Lyerla was stopped by a patrol deputy for traffic violations. During the stop the deputy developed probable cause for DUII. The DUII was for impairment not related to alcohol.[30][31]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fentress, Aaron (September 28, 2012). "Oregon's Colt Lyerla, with help of Hillsboro Spartans family, overcomes childhood trials". The Oregonian. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "#15 Colt Lyerla". Ducks Football. University of Oregon. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Colt Lyerla Profile". Scout.com. Microsoft. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Ruder, Ian (December 15, 2009). "2009-10 boys basketball preview: Jesuit, Jefferson sit at top of talented crop of contenders". The Oregonian. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Christensen, Nick (December 12, 2009). "Hilhi wins first state championship since 1973". The Hillsboro Argus. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Beseda, Jim (September 8, 2010). "Colt Lyerla putting recruiting decisions on back burner". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Ulmer, Jerry (December 23, 2009). "Colt Lyerla, Joe Ashby, Ken Ingram -- Hillsboro sweeps top 5A all-state awards". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Glicksman, Ben (7 December 2010). "Hillsboro (Ore.) High's Colt Lyerla is Mr. Versatility". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Binder, Doug (October 5, 2009). "Colt Lyerla on stunning play: 'It was a dream come true. ... I'm so thankful.'". The Oregonian. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Schnell, Lindsay (January 27, 2011). "Countdown to Signing Day: Oregon commit Colt Lyerla". The Oregonian. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "Lyerla getting looks because of versatility". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. August 30, 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Football: The Oregonian Class 6A all-state team". The Oregonian. December 29, 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  13. ↑ Beseda, Jim (November 22, 2010). "Colt Lyerla recruiting: Hillsboro's senior makes informal visit to Oregon". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Newberg, Jamie (January 8, 2011). "Brent Calloway's choice creates a buzz". ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  15. ↑ Hester, Mark (August 6, 2009). "Hillsboro's Colt Lyerla rises to top of 2011 football recruiting lists". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  16. ↑ Hunt, John (April 30, 2011). "Oregon football: Colt Lyerla's studying pays off in Spring Game". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  17. ↑ Sowa, Jesse (September 15, 2012). "UO football notebook: Lyerla often finds his way to the end zone". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Stats". Colt Lyerla. ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  19. ↑ Morgan, Craig (14 August 2012). "Oregon TE Colt Lyerla returns to practice, competition still wide open". CBS Sports. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  20. ↑ Fentress, Aaron (September 24, 2012). "Oregon Ducks tight end Colt Lyerla embraces new backfield role". The Oregonian. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  21. ↑ Moseley, Rob (September 24, 2012). "Colt Lyerla revs up the horsepower for now No. 2 Ducks". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "Colt Lyerla". College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  23. ↑ Brown, McKenna (March 21, 2013). "UO football player Colt Lyerla tweets controversial conspiracy theory about Sandy Hook shooting". Daily Emerald.
  24. ↑ Jude, Adam (April 6, 2013). "Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla apologizes for Twitter controversy". The Oregonian.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Quick, Jason (October 6, 2013). "Oregon Ducks football: TE Colt Lyerla is leaving the Ducks football program for 'personal reasons'". The Oregonian. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Colt Lyerla pleads guilty to unlawful possession of cocaine". The Oregonian. December 27, 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Packers sign draft pick, three tryout players". Packers.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  28. ↑ http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11377872/colt-lyerla-waived-green-bay-packers-injury-designation
  29. ↑ http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/12426/injury-settlement-clouds-colt-lyerlas-future
  30. ↑ Press Release: News Release from Washington Co. Sheriff's Office Posted on FlashAlert: September 7th, 2014 4:34 PM
  31. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2014/09/colt_lyerla_arrested_in_washin.html

External links