Matt Tennant
{{Short description|American football player (born 1987)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Matt Tennant
| image =
| caption =
| current_team =
| number = 65, 68
| position = Center
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|03|19|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lbs = 274
| high_school = Archbishop Moeller
(Cincinnati, Ohio)
| college = Boston College
| draftyear = 2010
| draftround = 5
| draftpick = 158
| pastteams =
- New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|2010}}–{{NFL Year|2011}})
- New England Patriots ({{NFL Year|2012}})
- Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|2012}})
| status =
| highlights =
- Second-team All-American (2009)
- Second-team All-ACC (2009)
| statweek =
| statseason =
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 36
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 =
| pfr = TennMa20
}}
Matthew H. Tennant (born March 19, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and was considered one of the best centers available for the 2010 NFL draft.{{Citation |url=http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2010_C |work=CBS Sportsline |title=2010 NFL Draft prospect rankings }} He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round and played with the Saints for two years.
Early life
Tennant attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a three-year starter on the offensive line and senior team captain. He gained Associated Press All-State second-team honors and was named a 2004 All-American by SuperPrep.
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com,{{Citation |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Matt-Tennant-28628 |work=Rivals.com |title=Matt Tennant Recruiting Profile |accessdate=December 19, 2009 }} Tennant was listed as the No. 55 offensive guard prospect in the nation in 2005.{{Citation |url=https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=876 |work=Rivals.com |title=Offensive guards 2005
|date=January 18, 2005 }} He chose Boston College over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Penn State, and Purdue.
College career
After redshirting his initial year at Boston College, Tennant saw action in five games in the 2006 season. In his sophomore season, Tennant succeeded Kevin Sheridan as the Eagles' center. He started all 14 games for the Eagles in 2007 and helped the team to finish with 5,924 yards of total offense, while quarterback Matt Ryan passed for 4,507 yards.
As a junior, Tennant remained BC's starting center and played in all 14 games. The Eagles' line allowed only 21 quarterback sacks with a pair of first-year starting quarterbacks behind them. Tennant's performance earned him an All-ACC honorable mention.
Prior to his senior season, Tennant was voted a team captain. He started all games for the Eagles and anchored an offensive line that ranked 35th in the country in sacks allowed (1.42). He subsequently earned Second-team All-American honors by the Walter Camp Foundation.{{Citation|url=http://waltercamp.org/index.php/news/2009_walter_camp_all_america_team_announced/ |title=2009 Walter Camp All-America Team Announced |date=December 10, 2009 |work=Walter Camp Foundation |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214181351/http://waltercamp.org/index.php/news/2009_walter_camp_all_america_team_announced |archivedate=December 14, 2009 }}
Professional career
=Pre-draft=
Projected as a second-round selection by Sports Illustrated,{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2010/draft/players/14208.html |title=Matt Tennant - 2010 Draft Tracker - SI.com |website=sportsillustrated.cnn.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419215639/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2010/draft/players/14208.html |archive-date=2010-04-19}} Tennant was ranked as the No. 2 available in the 2010 NFL draft, behind only Maurkice Pouncey.{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2010/draft/breakdowns/by_position/C.html |title=View Draft by Positions - 2010 Draft Tracker - SI.com |website=sportsillustrated.cnn.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417074608/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2010/draft/breakdowns/by_position/C.html |archive-date=2010-04-17}}
=New Orleans Saints=
Tennant was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft with the 158th overall pick.{{Cite web |title=2010 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2010/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He signed a four-year contract with the Saints on July 22, 2010.Aaron Wilson, [http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Saints-sign-up-fifthrounder-Matt-Tennant.html "Saints sign up fifth-rounder Matt Tennant"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724054318/http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Saints-sign-up-fifthrounder-Matt-Tennant.html |date=July 24, 2010 }}, National Football Post, July 22, 2010. He was cut in 2012.
=New England Patriots=
Tennant was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots on September 1, 2012, but was cut on September 4 when the Patriots needed to make room on the roster for running back Lex Hilliard.[http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/09/04/patriots-sign-rb-hilliard-waive-c-tennant "Patriots sign RB Hilliard, waive C Tennant"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907084102/http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/09/04/patriots-sign-rb-hilliard-waive-c-tennant |date=September 7, 2012 }}, Pro Football Weekly, September 4, 2012. Tennant was again signed by New England as an emergency depth option because of the injuries to Guard Logan Mankins and Tackle Nick McDonald.
Tennant was released by the Patriots on October 20, 2012.
=Philadelphia Eagles=
Tennant was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 2012, after the Eagles released center Steve Vallos, who replaced injured starting center Jason Kelce.[https://archive.today/20130120055636/http://www.csnphilly.com/football-philadelphia-eagles/eagles-talk/Eagles-sign-center-Tennant-cut-Vallos?blockID=792411&feedID=692 "Eagles Sign Center Tennant, Cut Vallos"], CSN Philly, October 23, 2012 He was released on August 30, 2013.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/roster/Matt-Tennant/1e3cf42b-d38c-4a0c-9fbb-9d9e9a394c5a New Orleans Saints bio]
- [http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/tennant_matt00.html Boston College Eagles bio]
{{Saints2010DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Matt}}
Category:Players of American football from Cincinnati
Category:American football centers
Category:Boston College Eagles football players
Category:New Orleans Saints players
Category:New England Patriots players