Nick O'Leary
{{Short description|American football player (born 1992)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Nick O'Leary
| image = Nick O'Leary in August 2015.jpg
| caption = O'Leary with the Buffalo Bills in 2015
| current_team =
| number = 84, 83, 86
| position = Tight end
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|8|31}}
| birth_place = North Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lbs = 252
| high_school = William T. Dwyer
(Palm Beach Gardens, Florida)
| college = Florida State (2011–2014)
| draftyear = 2015
| draftround = 6
| draftpick = 194
| pastteams = * Buffalo Bills ({{NFL Year|2015}}–{{NFL Year|2017}})
- Miami Dolphins ({{NFL Year|2018}}–{{NFL Year|2019}})
- Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|2019}})
- Las Vegas Raiders ({{NFL Year|2020}})
| pastcoaching = * Florida State (2023–present)
Student assistant coach - offense
| highlights = * BCS national champion (2013)
- John Mackey Award (2014)
- Ozzie Newsome Award (2014)
- Consensus All-American (2014)
- First-team All-ACC (2014)
- Second-team All-ACC (2013)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 53
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 668
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 4
| pfr = OLeaNi00
}}
Nicklaus O'Leary (born August 31, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning consensus All-American honors in 2014. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Early life
Nicklaus O'Leary is one of five children of Bill and Nan (Nicklaus) O'Leary.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-02 |title=Making his own name: Nick O'Leary _ Jack Nicklaus' grandson _ is the nation's top TE recruit |url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/making-his-own-name-nick-oleary-_-jack-nicklaus-grandson-_-is-the-nations-top-te-recruit/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |publisher=Fox News |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite web |title=The Nicklaus-Sarasota O'Leary connection | October 19, 2012 | Mark Cardon | HT Golf |url=http://golf.heraldtribune.com/2012/10/19/the-nicklaus-sarasota-oleary-connection/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222051814/http://golf.heraldtribune.com/2012/10/19/the-nicklaus-sarasota-oleary-connection/ |archive-date=December 22, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} He attended Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he played football and lacrosse. He won state titles in both football and lacrosse. As a senior, he had 51 receptions for 875 yards and 12 touchdowns.{{Cite web |last=Schad |first=Joe |title=Miami Dolphins promote TE Nick O'Leary of Palm Beach to 53-man roster |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins-promote-nick-leary-palm-beach-man-roster/iSQF1JS8JeON0gF0jd1p0I/ |access-date=December 11, 2018 |website=The Palm Beach Post |language=en}} Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was listed as the top-ranked tight end recruit in his class.{{Cite web |title=Nick O'Leary |url=https://n.rivals.com/ |access-date=December 11, 2018 |website=Rivals.com}}
College career
As a true freshman in 2011, O'Leary played in all 13 games with two starts. He finished the season with 12 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore in 2012, he started 11 of 13 games, recording 21 receptions for 252 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 2013, he was a John Mackey Award finalist after recording 33 receptions for 557 yards with seven touchdowns.[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/college-football/florida-state-freshman-place-kicker-roberto-aguayo/nb4jJ/ Jameis Winston, Nick O'Leary among 4 Florida State players who are finalists for national awards] After considering entering the 2014 NFL draft, O'Leary returned to Florida State for his senior season.[http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/seminolepost/2014/01/09/florida-state-tight-end-nick-oleary-will-return-for-his-senior-season-dt-timmy-jernigan-going-to-nfl/ Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary will return for his senior season, DT Timmy Jernigan going to NFL] During his senior season, he set Florida State's record for career receptions for a tight end.[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/nick-oleary-rashad-greene-set-florida-state-receiv/nhgy5/ Nick O'Leary, Rashad Greene set Florida State receiving marks] He again was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, this time winning it.{{Cite web |last=Shanker |first=Jared |date=December 10, 2014 |title=FSU's Nick O'Leary named top tight end |url=http://www.espn.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/78336 |access-date=December 11, 2018 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} He was also named a consensus All-American.{{cite web | last=Clark | first=Corey | title=Aguayo, O'Leary, Jackson named consensus all-americans | website=Tallahassee Democrat | date=2014-12-17 | url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/fsu/football/2014/12/17/aguayo-oleary-jackson-named-consensus-americans/20542045/ | access-date=2024-10-03}} O'Leary finished the season with 48 receptions for 618 yards and six touchdowns.{{cite web | last=Green | first=John | title=Bills TE Nick O'Leary carving out a role with his bare hands | website=Bills Wire|publisher=USA Today | date=2016-09-03 | url=https://billswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2016/09/02/buffalo-bills-nick-oleary-tight-end/79026902007/ | access-date=2025-03-02}} For his career, O'Leary had 114 receptions for 1,591 yards and 17 touchdowns.
=College statistics=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||
| rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| Team ! rowspan="2"| GP ! colspan="3"| Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2011 | Florida State
| 13 || 12 || 164 || 1 | |||
| 2012 | Florida State
| 13 || 21 || 252 || 3 | |||
| 2013 | Florida State
| 12 || 33 || 557 || 7 | |||
| 2014 | Florida State
| 13 || 48 || 618 || 6 | |||
| colspan="2"| [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/nick-oleary-1.html Total] | 51 | 114 | 1,591 | 17 |
Professional career
=Buffalo Bills=
O'Leary was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft.{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2015 |title=Bills acquire champion bloodlines, draft Nick O'Leary |url=https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-acquire-champion-bloodlines-draft-nick-o-leary-15242386 |website=BuffaloBills.com}}
On September 8, 2015, the Bills cut O'Leary and re-signed him to the practice squad two days later.{{Cite web |date=September 10, 2015 |title=Bills add TE Nick O'Leary to practice squad |url=http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-add-TE-Nick-OLeary-to-practice-squad/96c65642-3ea9-4c5a-86b4-94e970b59ff5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924183736/http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-add-TE-Nick-OLeary-to-practice-squad/96c65642-3ea9-4c5a-86b4-94e970b59ff5 |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |website=BuffaloBills.com}} On December 8, 2015, he was promoted to the active roster after Matthew Mulligan was cut.{{Cite web |last=Dunne, Tyler |date=December 8, 2015 |title=Bills make a TE switch: Matthew Mulligan is out, Nick O'Leary is in |url=http://buffalonews.com/2015/12/08/bills-make-a-te-switch-matthew-mulligan-is-out-nick-oleary-is-in/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925035426/http://buffalonews.com/2015/12/08/bills-make-a-te-switch-matthew-mulligan-is-out-nick-oleary-is-in/ |archive-date=September 25, 2017 |website=BuffaloNews.com}}
On November 12, 2017, in a 47–10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he caught his first career touchdown, a seven-yard pass from quarterback Nathan Peterman.{{Cite web |title=New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills - November 12th, 2017 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201711120buf.htm |access-date=November 26, 2017 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
On September 1, 2018, O'Leary was released by the Bills.{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2018 |title=Bills make these moves to reach the 53-man roster limit |url=https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-make-these-moves-to-reach-the-53-man-roster-limit |website=BuffaloBills.com}}
=Miami Dolphins=
On September 20, 2018, O'Leary was signed to the Miami Dolphins' practice squad.{{cite web | last=Staley | first=Antwan | title=Dolphins sign former Bills TE Nick O'Leary to its practice squad | website=Dolphins Wire|publisher=USA Today | date=2018-09-20 | url=https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/dolphins/2018/09/20/dolphins-sign-former-bills-te-nick-oleary-to-its-practice-squad/80009457007/ | access-date=2025-03-02}} He was promoted to the active roster on October 5, 2018.{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2018 |title=Nick O'Leary Promoted To Active Roster |url=https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/nick-o-leary-promoted-to-active-roster |website=MiamiDolphins.com}} He scored his first touchdown with the Dolphins in Week 6 against the Bears on a five-yard pass from Brock Osweiler.{{cite web | last=McPherson | first=Jordan | title=Nick O’Leary had a lot of Dolphins firsts Sunday. His famous grandfather saw it all | website=Miami Herald | date=2018-10-14 | url=https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article220026360.html | access-date=2025-03-02}} On December 1, 2018, O'Leary signed a one-year contract extension with the Dolphins through the 2019 season.{{Cite web |last=Smith, Michael David |date=December 1, 2018 |title=Dolphins extend Nick O'Leary through 2019 |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/01/dolphins-extend-nick-oleary-through-2019/ |website=Pro Football Talk |publisher=NBC Sports}}
On October 29, 2019, O’Leary was released by the Dolphins.
=Jacksonville Jaguars=
On November 18, 2019, O'Leary was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2019 |title=Jaguars sign TE Nick O'Leary |url=https://www.jaguars.com/news/jaguars-sign-te-nick-o-leary |website=Jaguars.com}}
=Las Vegas Raiders=
On April 6, 2020, O'Leary was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders.{{Cite web |last=Alper, Josh |date=March 21, 2020 |title=Nick O'Leary signs with Raiders |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/03/21/nick-oleary-signs-with-raiders/ |website=Pro Football Talk |publisher=NBC Sports}} He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on May 28, 2020.{{Cite news |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Raiders re-sign tight end Paul Butler |work=Raiders.com |url=https://www.raiders.com/news/raiders-re-sign-tight-end-paul-butler |access-date=May 29, 2020}} On June 23, 2020, it was revealed that O'Leary underwent a heart procedure because there was a 100% blockage in one artery adjacent with the heart. Some sources surfaced that O'Leary was retiring from football, but O'Leary still intended to play in 2021, regardless of his recent procedure.{{Cite web |title=Nick O'Leary plans return to football in 2021 after undergoing heart procedure last month |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/20200622/nick-orsquoleary-plans-return-to-football-in-2021-after-undergoing-heart-procedure--last-month |access-date=June 23, 2020 |publisher=Palm Beach Post}}
Coaching career
In 2023, O'Leary joined Florida State as a student assistant coach, working with the offense.{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2023 |title=Former FSU tight end Nick O’Leary has joined Seminoles coaching staff |url=https://www.tomahawknation.com/florida-state-football-fsu-seminoles-college-cfb-acc-norvell-team-roster-schedule-game/2023/7/24/23800758/former-mackey-best-history-tight-end-nick-oleary-joins-assistant-coaching-staff |access-date=February 10, 2024 |website=Tomahawk Nation|publisher=SB Nation}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="8"| Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | R/G | Y/G | |
| 2015 | BUF
| 4 || 0 || 3 || 1 || 37 || 37.0 || 37 || 0 || 0.3 || 9.3 | |||||||||
| 2016 | BUF
| 16 || 7 || 14 || 9 || 114 || 12.7 || 28 || 0 || 0.6 || 7.1 | |||||||||
| 2017 | BUF
| 15 || 5 || 32 || 22 || 322 || 14.6 || 32 || 2 || 1.5 || 21.5 | |||||||||
| 2018 | MIA
| 12 || 7 || 10 || 8 || 86 || 10.8 || 19 || 1 || 0.7 || 10.2 | |||||||||
| rowspan="2"|2019 | MIA
| 7 || 2 || 5 || 4 || 37 || 9.3 || 19 || 0 || 0.6 || 5.3 | |||||||||
| JAX
| 5 || 3 || 13 || 9 || 72 || 8.0 || 15 || 1 || 1.8 || 14.4 | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/O/OLeaNi00.htm Career] | 59 | 24 | 77 | 53 | 668 | 12.6 | 37 | 4 | 0.8 | 11.3 |
Personal life
O'Leary's maternal grandfather is golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.{{cite web | last=Rohan | first=Tim | title=Seminoles Tight End’s Competitive Drive Recalls His Grandfather Nicklaus | website=The New York Times | date=2014-01-06 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/sports/ncaafootball/seminoles-tight-ends-competitive-drive-recalls-his-grandfather-nicklaus.html?_r=0 | access-date=2024-10-03}}{{cite web | title=FSU’s Nick O’Leary hopes to step out of famous grandfather Jack Nicklaus’ shadow | website=Orlando Sentinel | date=2013-10-20 | url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2013/10/20/fsus-nick-oleary-hopes-to-step-out-of-famous-grandfather-jack-nicklaus-shadow/ | access-date=2024-10-03}} Nick's father, Bill, was a highly recruited tight end who played at the University of Georgia, and his mother, Nan, played volleyball at Georgia.{{Cite web |title=The Nicklaus-Sarasota O'Leary connection |url=http://golf.heraldtribune.com/the-nicklaus-sarasota-oleary-connection/ |access-date=December 11, 2018 |website=golf.heraldtribune.com}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{footballstats|espn=2576804|yahoo=28582|nfl=nick-o-leary}}
- [http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/nick_oleary_763636.html Florida State Seminoles bio]
{{2013 Florida State Seminoles football navbox}}
{{John Mackey Award}}
{{2014 NCAA Division I FBS College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Bills2015DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:OLeary, Nick}}
Category:Sportspeople from North Palm Beach, Florida
Category:Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida
Category:American football tight ends
Category:Florida State Seminoles football players
Category:All-American college football players
Category:Buffalo Bills players
Category:Miami Dolphins players
Category:Jacksonville Jaguars players