Josh Imatorbhebhe

Josh Imatorbhebhe (born April 12, 1998) is a world-record holder American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Illinois. Despite playing two years as a graduate transfer (from the USC Trojans) with the Illini, he finished his career 7th on the school's all-time receiving touchdowns list. In 2020, he led the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. In his college pro day (COVID, no combine) he broke the NFL standing vertical jump record at 46.5 inches. He signed as an un-drafted free agent after the NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. After sustaining a quad injury in training camp he got released in the preseason. Josh was brought back to the team Week 7 before getting released again during the end. He chose to pre-maturely retire and now works in finance in NYC. [1]

Josh Imatorbhebhe
Personal information
Born: (1998-04-12) April 12, 1998
Riverside, California
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:North Gwinnett
College:USC (2016–2018)
Illinois (2019–2020)
Position:Wide receiver
Undrafted:2021
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

High school career

247Sports had Imatorbhebhe as a four-star recruit out of North Gwinnett High School where he led the team to the 2014 Class AAAAAA Georgia state championship game. He had 32 Scholarship offers and commited to USC on Bleacher Report over UGA, Alabama, Ohio State, and Florida. ESPN ranked him the 119th best recruit in the nation, 18th among wide receivers and 13th in Georgia.[1] He was 2014 All-Region 7-AAAAAA first-team, 2015 Prep Star All-American Dream Team, and 2015 Gwinnett Daily Post All-County third-team. He had a 4.0 GPA

College career

USC

Imatorbhebhe enrolled at USC in 2016, redshirting his freshman year, before seeing limited game time, playing in 6 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017.

Illinois

Imatorbhebhe finished the 2019 season with 33 receptions for 634 receiving yards.[2] His nine receiving touchdowns is second in school history for a single season and was fifth in the Big Ten that year. His 4-reception, 178-yard performance against Michigan State on November 9, 2019, earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.[3] He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2019 as a redshirt junior.[4] He was a 2020 Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten selection.[5]

At Illinois' 2021 pro day, Imatorbhebhe jumped what would have been an NFL Scouting Combine record 46.5 inches in the vertical.[6] His physical ability first gained national attention when as a 17-year-old he leaped 46 inches at Nike's "The Opening" football camp in 2015.[7]

Professional career

On May 1, 2021, Imatorbhebhe signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent.[8] He was waived/injured on August 17, 2021 and placed on injured reserve. He was released on August 26. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 12.[9] He was released on November 1.[10] On July 13, 2022, Imatorbhebhe announced via his LinkedIn profile he was retiring from football and had accepted a strategy consulting role with Deloitte.

Personal life

Imatorbhebhe is from Suwanee, Georgia. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from USC in May 2019, and studied strategic brand communication at Illinois as a graduate student. His brother Daniel played at USC from 2016–2019 and is a graduate transfer tight end at Kansas State.[11]

References
  1. "Josh Imatorbhebhe - 2020 - Football". University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  2. "Josh Imatorbhebhe Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. "Big Ten Football Players of the Week". bigten.org. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  4. "Big Ten Announces Football All-Conference Teams for Offense and Select Individual Honors". bigten.org. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  5. Lassan, Steven (2020-06-16). "Big Ten Football 2020 All-Conference Team". AthlonSports.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  6. Gartland, Dan. "Illinois WR Posts Absurd 46.5" Vertical Leap at Pro Day". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  7. "Four-star USC recruit displays crazy 46-inch vertical leap". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  8. "Jaguars agree to terms with six undrafted free agents". Jaguars.com. May 1, 2021.
  9. "Roster Moves: Jaguars sign RB Whyte Jr., OL Hocker and WR Imatorbhebhe to practice squad". Jaguars.com. October 12, 2021.
  10. "Roster Moves: Jaguars sign DL Jeremiah Ledbetter to practice squad". Jaguars.com. November 1, 2021.
  11. "Daniel Imatorbhebhe - Football". Kansas State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
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