Christian Izien

Christian Izien (born June 8, 2000) is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft.

Christian Izien
refer to caption
Izien with the Buccaneers in 2023
No. 29 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (2000-06-08) June 8, 2000
Far Rockaway, New York, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Erasmus Hall
(Flatbush, New York)
College:Rutgers (2018–2022)
Undrafted:2023
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023
Total tackles:21
Interceptions:2
Pass deflections:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Izien was born on June 8, 2000.[1] He grew up in Far Rockaway, New York, and attended Erasmus Hall High School.[2] A two-way player as a cornerback and wide receiver, he earned New York City Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior.[3] Ranked a three-star recruit, he opted to be near home by committing to play college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.[4]

College career

As a true freshman at Rutgers in 2018, Izien appeared in four games as a special teams player.[2] He then played all 12 games as a sophomore, totaling a secondary-leading 78 tackles while starting seven times.[4] He started all nine games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, leading the team with four interceptions while also having 66 tackles.[4][5] Izien started all 13 games in 2021, being named honorable mention all-conference while having 75 tackles.[2][4] He again started every game in 2022, finishing with 41 consecutive starts while having 80 tackles on the year, earning another honorable mention all-conference selection.[2][4] Izien declared for the 2023 NFL Draft and was invited to the Hula Bowl and East–West Shrine Bowl.[6]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Izien was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.[7] He impressed in the off-season and made the final roster, being named the starting nickelback as a rookie.[8][9][10] He had interceptions in his first two games, becoming only the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to accomplish the feat.[11]

References
  1. "Christian Izien". ESPN.
  2. "NFL Draft Profile: Christian Izien, Safety, Rutgers Scarlet Knights". Sports Illustrated. December 7, 2000.
  3. "Christian Izien". Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
  4. Garrett, Tommy (April 18, 2023). "Christian Izien, S, Rutgers | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
  5. Iseman, Chris (May 7, 2021). "Rutgers safety Izien hopes to build on big end to 2020". Daily Record. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. Iseman, Chris (March 23, 2023). "DBs, punter Korsak impress scouts". The Central New Jersey Home News. p. B9 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. Lanni, Patrick; Fonseca, Brian (April 29, 2023). "Rutgers football UDFA tracker: Here's where former Scarlet Knights signed after going undrafted in 2023 NFL Draft". NJ.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Dyer, Kristian (August 13, 2023). "Rutgers in the NFL: Christian Izien has impressed Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp". USA Today.
  9. Wells, River (August 27, 2023). "CB Christian Izien confirmed to start at nickel corner for 2023". USA Today.
  10. "Bucs Go Heavy on Front Seven in Initial 53-Man Roster". Buccaneers.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  11. Smith, Scott (September 18, 2023). "Christian Izien Accomplishes Rare NFL Feat". Buccaneers.com.
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