Will Redmond

Will Redmond's Biography

Will E. Redmond, born on December 28, 1993, is a former professional American footballer. He is best known for his role as a football safety with a notable career spanning numerous top-tier football teams in the National Football League (NFL), including the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and the Houston Texans.

Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Redmond began his football journey at Manassas High School. Additionally, his early football career gained a certain level of fame when his team, the Tigers, became the focus of the Oscar-winning documentary film Undefeated, where he was the starting quarterback.

After transferring to East High School in Memphis, Redmond displayed versatility on the field by playing on both defense and offense and demonstrating exceptional prowess on special teams. Showcasing promising skill as a high school footballer, he gained high ratings from sports recruitment platforms, which played a significant role in landing him several scholarship offers from sought-after institutions such as Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Louisville, Memphis, and Notre Dame, among others.

In August 2011, Redmond committed to Mississippi State, signing with the Bulldogs in February the following year, notwithstanding a late tempting offer from Georgia state. However, his recruitment stint had its ups and downs. Notably, Mississippi State was placed on probation after it was discovered an unidentified booster provided Redmond several benefits, including cash and heavily discounted car rent.

Consequently, the NCAA declared Redmond ineligible for the 2012 season and the first five games of 2013, requiring him to repay all the impermissible benefits while the university disassociated itself from the former benefactor. Regardless, Redmond made an impressive comeback towards the end of 2013, demonstrating great footballing skills through the following seasons, climaxing in a game-clinching catch in 2014.

The 2015 season was short-lived as he was sidelined with an ACL injury after only seven games. Nevertheless, his previous performances had left an impression on several talents evaluators, including Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, who predicted Redmond to be among the top cornerbacks in the impending 2016 NFL draft; that prediction came true in the third round of the aforementioned draft.

San Francisco 49ers was the first NFL team to take Redmond onboard. However, an unfortunate knee injury led to him being redshirted for his rookie season. This trend of injuries continued into 2017 when he was waived off by 49ers due to an ankle injury. After a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 and early 2018, Redmond ended up with the Green Bay Packers for the next two seasons until yet another injury sidelined him.

Despite these setbacks, Redmond continued his football journey, re-signing with the Packers in 2020 and 2021. Although he was placed on injured reserve due to a toe injury in August 2021 and was eventually released in November, Redmond didn’t abandon his football career. Instead, he joined the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in December 2021, recycling the pattern by signing a reserve/future contract with them in January 2022.

However, in a recurring theme, Redmond was released by the Colts at the end of August 2022, yet continuing his resilience, Redmond joined the practice squad of the Houston Texans in November of the same year. His career demonstrates a commitment to the sport and a resilience that is admirable, bouncing back from injuries and team changes throughout his professional career.