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Ali Fayad (American football)

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Ali Fayad
refer to caption
Fayad with the Toronto Argonauts in 2022
Personal information
Born: (1999-05-12) May 12, 1999 (age 25)
Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Dearborn (MI)
College:Western Michigan
Position:Defensive end
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Stats at CFL.ca

Ali Fayad (born May 12, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football at Western Michigan and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He also played for the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL).

Early life and college

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Fayad was born on May 12, 1999, in Dearborn, Michigan.[1] He is Lebanese.[2] Fayad attended Dearborn High School, where as a senior he made 60 tackles and 17 sacks, earning Detroit Free Press first-team all-state and Detroit News all-metro honors.[1]

Fayad initially committed to Eastern Michigan, but changed his mind and instead committed to Western Michigan in 2017.[3] As a true freshman, Fayad appeared in every game and started three, making 20 tackles, 2-and-a-half quarterback sacks and one fumble recovered.[1]

In 2018, Fayad appeared in 13 games and was a starter in the final 12. He made a total of 34 tackles and 7.5 sacks, while also recording four forced fumbles and a recovery. He also recorded 12 tackles-for-loss, leading the school.[4] Fayad started every game in 2019 and made a total of 53 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a recovery, earning second-team all-conference honors.[1] Prior to the 2020 season, Fayad was ranked the number ten edge defender in the nation.[5]

In a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Fayad played in four games and made 17 tackles and four sacks.[1] After a game against Toledo, he was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week.[6]

In 2021, Fayad ranked fourth in FBS with 13 sacks and was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[7]

Professional career

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Philadelphia Eagles

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After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Fayad was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.[8] He was released on August 14, 2022.[9]

Toronto Argonauts

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On September 3, 2022, Fayad was signed to the practice roster of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL).[10] He played in four games for the Argos in 2022, contributing with four defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one sack. Fayad won the 109th Grey Cup to conclude the season. He was released by the Argos on February 28, 2023.[11]

Philadelphia Stars

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On March 4, 2023, Fayad signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL).[12] The Stars folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[13]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

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Fayad signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL on January 17, 2024.[14] However, he was released in early cuts on May 12, 2024.[15] Due to a number of injuries on the defensive line, he was later re-signed by the team on June 15, 2024.[16] Fayad was released again on July 8, 2024.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ali Fayad". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  2. ^ Meyer, Nick (September 13, 2019). "Dearborn native, Lebanese American Ali Fayad stars for Western Michigan University's Broncos football team". The Arab American News. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ^ Buckley, Nick (July 17, 2018). "Western Michigan's key players for 2018: No. 17 Ali Fayad ahead of curve at defensive end". Battle Creek Enquirer. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Goricki, David (September 5, 2019). "Dearborn's Ali Fayad, Western Michigan ready for another shot at Michigan State". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "Western Michigan's Ali Fayad ranked No. 10 edge defender for 2020". The Detroit News. April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ali Fayad Named to Pro Football Focus Team of the Week". Western Michigan Broncos. November 16, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Infante, Jacob (April 26, 2022). "Meet Ali Fayad, Western Michigan's underrated edge defender". USA Today. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  8. ^ Greger, Mike (May 3, 2022). "Eagles Sign Underrated 'Ghost Rusher' from Western Michigan". Heavy. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  9. ^ McPherson, Chris (August 14, 2022). "Roster Moves: Eagles release OL William Dunkle and LB Ali Fayad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "Argos sign former MAC Defensive Player of the Year Ali Fayad, one other". 3DownNation. September 3, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  11. ^ "Toronto Argonauts release American DL Ali Fayad". 3DownNation. February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  12. ^ @USFLStars (March 4, 2023). "Free Agent Signings" (Tweet). Retrieved March 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "2024 CFL Transactions". CFL.ca. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Blue Bombers Transactions". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. May 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "Blue Bombers Transactions". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. June 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "BLue Bombers add receiver Lucky Whitehead to practice roster". Canadian Football League. July 8, 2024.
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