Draft:Keanu Ebanks

Ebanks started playing American football at the University of Hull with the Sharks in 2013, where he started on both the offensive line and defensive line. With the Sharks, Ebanks won the North Division title once. He contributed significantly to this success, among other things, with a blocked field goal against Leeds Beckitt University shortly before the end of the game.{{cite web|url=https://talesfromsport.com/2021/07/16/tales-from-athletes-keanu-ebanks-my-greatest-moment-in-sport/|title=Keanu Ebanks (Pro American Football Player) – My Greatest Moment in Sport|website=talesfromsport.com|first=Ross|last=Paul|date=16 July 2021|access-date=19 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/keanu-ebanks-leading-the-charge-from-leeds-to-germany-to-sweden/|title=Keanu Ebanks: Leading the charge from Leeds to Germany to Sweden|website=americanfootballinternational.com|first=Alex|last=Malchow|date=25 December 2020|access-date=19 September 2021}}

For the 2018 season, Ebanks set himself the goal of playing in the German Football League, which is why he wrote to every German GFL team. After the Hildesheim Invaders invited him to a training session, the Invades decided to sign the Brit several months later: “It's not easy for most Brits to get into the GFL. I created a Europlayers account in 2017 and started writing to clubs. It felt like I had written to every team in Germany and received no response. Finally I got a message from Hildesheim who decided to invite me to training later this year. I then had to wait a few months before hearing from them. “I was in the process of signing with a team in France when I got the call,” said Ebanks. With the Invaders, Ebanks was only used on the offensive line, but became a permanent fixture there. In the 2019 GFL season, he played in the left tackle position and reached the playoffs with the Invaders for the first time in their team history. After the season, he was invited to the NFL Global Combine in Cologne to recommend himself for the International Player Pathway Program. In addition, he participated in the CFL Combine in January 2020 and declared for the Canadian Football League draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishamericanfootball.org/2021/04/meet-the-prospects-part-4-keanu-ebanks/|title=Meet the Prospects. Keanu Ebanks. British players in the 2020 CFL Draft|website=britishamericanfootball.org|first=John|last=Kohl|access-date=19 September 2021}}

Due to the COVID-19-pandemic, the GFL and CFL seasons were canceled, but Ebanks decided he still wanted to play football. Therefore, the Brit moved to the Stockholm Mean Machines in the Swedish Superserien.{{cite web|url=https://www.meanmachines.se/Lagen/SuperserienHerr/Nyheter/tyskduoforstarkermeanmachines|title=Tysk duo förstärker Mean Machines|website=meanmachines.se|date=5 August 2020|access-date=19 September 2021|language=sv}} With the Mean Machines, Ebanks reached the final, which was lost 12:14 to the Carlstad Crusaders. In spring 2021, Ebanks took part in the CFL Virtual Combine and was again registered for the Canadian professional league's Global Draft.{{cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2021/04/11/cfl-global-draft-position-rankings-offensive-linemen/|title=CFL Global Draft Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen|website=3downnation.com|first=JC|last=Abbot|date=11 April 2021|access-date=19 September 2021}} In the 40-yard dash, Ebanks ran a time of 5.40 seconds, in the bench press he achieved 24 repetitions and in the standing broad jump he jumped 2.67 meters.{{cite web|url=https://thefanatic.co/cfl/the-results-from-the-2021-global-combine-are-in/|title=CFL The results from the 2021 Global Combine are in|website=thefanatic.co|date=2 April 2021|access-date=19 September 2021}} Ebanks was not selected by any franchise in the draft. Instead, he was signed by the Hamburg Sea Devils for the historic first season of the European League of Football in 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.hlsports.de/mehr-sport/football/brite-als-bodyguard-fuer-quarterback-bei-den-hamburg-sea-devils-261995|title=Brite als Bodyguard für Quarterback bei den Hamburg Sea Devils|website=hlsports.de|first=Roland|last=Kenzo|date=20 May 2021|access-date=19 September 2021|language=de}}{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/elf-hamburg-sea-devils-sign-british-lineman-keanu-ebanks/|title=ELF: Hamburg Sea Devils sign British lineman Keanu Ebanks|website=americanfootballinternational.com|first=Alex|last=Malchow|date=24 May 2021|access-date=19 September 2021}} For the Sea Devils, he was the starting left tackle and part of an O-line that allowed 26 sacks in ten regular season games. Ebanks was also responsible for a total of eleven penalties, six times for a false start and five times for a holding. After the conclusion of the regular season, he was named to the ELF All Star Team.{{cite web|url=https://europeanleague.football/elf-news/full-roster-of-the-european-league-of-football-all-star-game-revealed|title=Full Roster of the European League of Football All-Star Game Revealed|website=europeanleague.football|date=10 September 2021|access-date=19 September 2021}} In the final of the first ELF championship, the Sea Devils lost 30:32 to the Frankfurt Galaxy. At the end of the year, Ebanks was named to the AFI's All-Europe Team 2021 by the sports magazine American Football International.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/afis-all-europe-team-offensive-line-keanu-ebanks-hamburg-sea-devils/|title=AFI's All-Europe Team: Offensive line – Keanu Ebanks, Hamburg Sea Devils|website=americanfootballinternational.com|first=Alex|last=Malchow|date=26 December 2021|access-date=26 December 2021}}

For the 2022 season, he initially moved to the Panthers Wrocław, who play in the same conference as the Sea Devils.{{cite web|url=https://wroclawskiefakty.pl/keanu-ebanks-w-panthers-wroclaw-wielki-hit-transferowy/|title=Keanu Ebanks w Panthers Wrocław! Wielki hit transferowy!|website=wroclawskiefakty.pl|first=Filip|last=Macuda|date=22 December 2021|access-date=23 December 2021|language=pl}} Before the start of the ELF season, however, he was signed by the Calgary Stampeders from the Canadian Football League (CFL) in March 2022.{{cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2022/03/10/stampeders-sign-global-offensive-lineman-keanu-ebanks/|title=Calgary Stampeders sign Global offensive lineman Keanu Ebanks|website=3downnation.com|date=10 March 2022|access-date=11 March 2022}} He spent the entire CFL season on the practice roster. On May 13, 2023, Ebanks was released by the Stampeders after being injured in the first camp.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/2023/05/13/cutdown-tracker-a-look-at-every-roster-move-2/|title=Cutdown Tracker: A look at every roster move|website=cfl.ca|date=13 May 2023|access-date=14 May 2023}}

A few weeks later he was signed by the Paris Musketeers from the ELF.{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/elf-paris-musketeers-sign-former-cfl-offensive-lineman-keanu-ebanks/|title=ELF: Paris Musketeers sign former CFL offensive lineman Keanu Ebanks|website=americanfootballinternational.com|first=Alex|last=Malchow|access-date=2023-06-07}} In December 2023, he moved back to the Panthers Wrocław for the subsequent ELF season.{{Cite web|url=https://footbowl.eu/keanu-ebanks-wechselt-zu-den-panthers/|title=Keanu Ebanks wechselt zu den Panthers|website=Foot Bowl|first=Justin|last=Engel|date=2023-12-01|access-date=2023-12-02|language=de}}

On November 18, 2024, Ebanks signed to play for the Frankfurt Galaxy.{{cite web|url=https://europeanleague.football/news/this-time-frankfurt-galaxy-keanu-ebanks-signs-for-another-elf-season-2687|title=This time Frankfurt Galaxy! Keanu Ebanks signs for another ELF season|website=European League of Football|first=Florian|last=Puth|date=November 18, 2024|access-date=January 11, 2025}}

• [https://www.exosuit.co.uk/athletes/keanu-ebanks/ Exosuit.co.uk bio]
• [https://europeanleague.football/player/keanu-ebanks Europeanleague.football bio]
• [https://www.cfl.ca/players/keanu-ebanks/ CFL.ca bio]

{{Draft categories|

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebanks, Keanu}}

Category:1994 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football offensive tackles

Category:English players of American football

Category:Alumni of the University of Hull

Category:International Player Pathway participants

Category:Hamburg Sea Devils (ELF) players

Category:Panthers Wrocław players

Category:Calgary Stampeders players

Category:Paris Musketeers players

Category:Frankfurt Galaxy (ELF) players

}}