Da'Shawn Hand

Da'Shawn Hand's Biography

Da’Shawn Hand was born on November 14, 1995, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Sharif Hand, a high school junior at the time. His uncle, Damone Boone, a notable football player in the mid-1990s left a strong influence on young Hand. The family later relocated to Woodbridge, Virginia, where Hand’s athletic talent started to shine.

Hand went to Woodbridge High School, becoming an accomplished multi-sport athlete, dabbling in football, wrestling, and track. His skills in football surpassed the rest. As an All-State defensive lineman, his junior year saw him record impressive stats, including 110 tackles and 16 sacks. His performance won him the Rivals.com Junior of the Year award, and popularly regarded as the no.1 prospect entering the senior season.

Parallel to football, Hand excelled in wrestling and track and field competitions. He won regional championships in wrestling and also performed brilliantly in shot put and discus throw events. With the increased attention from media outlets like The Washington Post, Hand was the subject of a documentary series, ‘First and 17’, offering viewers an inside look into his life on and off the field.

Regarded as the nation’s best recruit in 2014 by Rivals.com, Hand received over 90 scholarship offers. Ultimately, he chose to spend his college years at the University of Alabama, in large part due to their civil engineering program, as Hand was particularly interested in that field of study.

Between 2014 and 2017, Hand played under head coach Nick Saban and stood out as a regular on the Crimson Tide defensive line. Hand started nine games in his final year, despite missing out some due to a minor knee injury. He finished the season with 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks, demonstrating his keen defensive capabilities.

Hand’s professional career took off when the Detroit Lions selected him in the 2018 NFL draft, 114th overall pick. He made his professional debut against the New York Jets and recorded his first professional sack against the Dallas Cowboys. Despite suffering an injury setback in December 2018, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Injuries marred Hand’s 2019 season, forcing him to miss several weeks due to an elbow injury and later an ankle injury. The following year, he transitioned to a backup role, playing in about half of the total defensive snaps and enduring a few more injuries.

On September 2, 2021, Hand was injured again, resulting in him being placed on the injured reserve list. This downtime didn’t last long as he was back on the field by October 30. Unfortunately, he had to return to the injured reserve list less than a month later and was released by the end of November.

The Indianapolis Colts signed Hand to their practice squad on December 21, 2021. However, this arrangement was short-lived as he was further released on December 31st. Just a few days later, on January 5, 2022, he was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad, and by February, he was signing a reserve/future contract with them. Unfortunately, by September 2022, he was back on the injured reserve list.

In August 2023, Hand then found an opportunity with the Miami Dolphins, although initially released in the same month, he was re-signed to the practice squad and later promoted to the active roster in September. Come March 2024, Hand was re-signed with the Dolphins.

Amidst the various transformations in his professional career, one of the personal highlights of Hand’s life came with the birth of his daughter, Emersynn, on May 20, 2022. Undeniably, the journey of Da’Shawn Hand is a testament to figurative and literal trials and triumphs. Through various experiences of gaining and losing opportunities, dealing with injuries and small successes, and life’s significant moments, Hand continues to leave a mark in American football history.