DeShone Kizer

BIOGRAPHY

Deshone Kizer was born January 3, 1996, in Toledo, Ohio. He is a Quarterback in the NFL. Kizer redshirted his first year at Notre Dame in 2014 behind quarterbacks Everett Golson and Malik Zaire. Kizer started 2015 as a backup to Zaire. On September 5, in the season opener, he made his collegiate debut against Texas in relief of Zaire in the 38–3 victory. During the second game of the season against Virginia, Kizer replaced an injured Zaire and helped lead Notre Dame to a victory. With 12 seconds left, Kizer completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Will Fuller to give Notre Dame the lead. After it was announced that Zaire would miss the rest of the season, Kizer was named the starter. On October 3, in a 24–22 loss to Clemson, he passed for a season-high 321 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while having 15 carries for 60 yards and a rushing touchdown. Against Pitt, Kizer accounted for all six touchdowns (five passing and one rushing) helping Notre Dame to a 42–30 victory. On Halloween, in a 24–20 win over Temple, he recorded 299 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, and had a stellar night on the ground with 143 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Kizer and the Fighting Irish finished the 2015 regular season with a 10–2 record. On New Year's Day, Kizer and the Fighting Irish closed out their 2015 season with a 44–28 loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. In the loss, he had 284 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception while adding 21 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground. Overall in 2015, Kizer finished his redshirt first year with 2,880 passing yards, 525 rushing yards, and 31 total touchdowns in 13 games. Kizer started off the 2016 season with 215 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 77 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a 2OT 50–47 loss to Texas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. After a victory over Nevada, he had 344 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 14 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns in a 36–28 loss to Michigan State. After a loss to Duke, he had a career day through the air with 471 yards and three touchdowns in a 50–33 win over Syracuse. He put together some solid performances over the rest of the season, but the team faltered and ended up with a 4–8 record. Kizer played 12 games with 2,925 passing yards, 472 rushing yards, and 34 total touchdowns. After the 2016 season, Kizer decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns selected Kizer in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. On March 14, 2018, Kizer was traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Damarious Randall and a swap of both fourth and fifth-round draft picks. On September 9, 2018, in Week 1, Kizer played in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers in the first and second quarters against the Chicago Bears. He threw for 55 yards and an interception which was returned for a touchdown. Rodgers returned in the third quarter and led the Packers to a 24–23 victory. In the season finale against the Detroit Lions, Kizer played in relief of Rodgers, who had suffered a concussion, and threw for 132 yards and an interception as the Packers were shut-out by a score of 31–0. Kizer was released on August 31, 2019, as part of the final roster cuts. On September 1, 2019, Kizer was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders. On May 5, 2020, Kizer was waived by the relocated Las Vegas Raiders. He was re-signed to the Raiders practice squad on September 7, 2020, and was released on September 30. On November 24, 2020, Kizer was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad. He was signed to a futures contract on January 11, 2021.