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Kalen Ballage

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Kalen Ballage
refer to caption
Ballage in 2014
Personal information
Born: (1995-12-22) December 22, 1995 (age 28)
Peyton, Colorado, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:227 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:Falcon (Falcon, Colorado)
College:Arizona State (2014–2017)
Position:Running back
NFL draft:2018 / round: 4 / pick: 131
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:665
Rushing average:3.1
Rushing touchdowns:7
Receptions:54
Receiving yards:293
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kalen Ballage (born December 22, 1995) is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He also played for the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Chargers.

Early years

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While attending Falcon High School in Falcon, Colorado, Ballage recorded a successful high school football career.[1] In three years on varsity, he rushed for 2,690 yards, while averaging 8.5 yards per carry and scored 35 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 671 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.[2] Ballage was recruited by major programs, including Michigan, Washington, and Nebraska. He committed to Arizona State on January 17, 2013.[3]

College career

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As a freshman in 2014, Ballage had a combined 202 rushing and receiving yards, to go along with four total touchdowns. During his sophomore year, he had the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career against the Oregon Ducks.[2] As a junior, Ballage tied College Football's FBS single game touchdown record by scoring eight touchdowns against Texas Tech on September 10, 2016.[4] During his junior year, Ballage played the quarterback position while the team was in their version of the wildcat offense, known to ASU fans as the Sparky Package.[5][6] Ballage is known for his combination of speed and power.[7]

College statistics

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Year School Conf Class Pos G Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2014 Arizona State Pac-12 FR RB 11 42 126 3.0 3 6 64 10.7 1
2015 Arizona State Pac-12 SO RB 10 125 653 5.2 4 12 60 5.0 0
2016 Arizona State Pac-12 JR RB 12 126 536 4.3 14 44 469 10.7 1
2017 Arizona State Pac-12 SR RB 13 157 669 4.3 6 20 91 4.6 0
Career Arizona State 46 450 1,984 4.4 27 82 684 8.3 2

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m) 		228 lb
(103 kg) 		32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.46 s 1.54 s 2.61 s 4.35 s 6.91 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[8][9]

Miami Dolphins

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Ballage was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round with the 131st overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, using the fourth round pick previously acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade that sent Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia.[10] In Week 4, against the New England Patriots, he made his NFL debut and recorded a three-yard rush in the 38–7 loss.[11] In Week 15, against the Minnesota Vikings, he saw an expanded role with 12 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown.[12] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 191 rushing yards and a touchdown.[13]

Ballage entered the 2019 season as the No. 2 running back behind Kenyan Drake. He was placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2019, with a leg injury.[14] He finished the season with 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns along with 14 catches for 63 yards through 12 games and six starts.[15]

On August 27, 2020, the Dolphins attempted to trade Ballage to the New York Jets for a 2021 conditional seventh-round draft pick,[16] but the trade was voided three days later after he failed a physical with the Jets.[17] He was waived with an injury settlement on September 5, 2020.[18]

New York Jets

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On September 15, 2020, Ballage was signed by the New York Jets.[19] He was waived on October 5.[20]

Los Angeles Chargers

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On October 9, 2020, Ballage was signed to the practice squad of the Los Angeles Chargers.[21] He was elevated to the active roster on November 7 for the team's week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[22] He was promoted to the active roster on November 14.[23] In the 2020 season, he appeared in 11 games, of which he started two. He finished with 91 carries for 303 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 29 receptions for 166 receiving yards.[24]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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Ballage signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 30, 2021.[25] He appeared in all 17 games in the 2021 season. He was used mainly in a special teams role.[26]

On November 2, 2022, the Indianapolis Colts hosted Ballage for a workout.[27]

San Antonio Brahmas

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Ballage was selected by the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL in the sixth round of the 2023 XFL Draft.[28] He was placed on the team's reserve list on March 24, 2023.[29] He was removed from the roster on February 15, 2024.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Nguyen, Joe (April 28, 2018). "Kalen Ballage, former Falcon High star, selected by Miami Dolphins in fourth round of NFL draft". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kalen Ballage – 2014 Football Roster". TheSunDevils.com. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "Kalen Ballage – Football Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN.com. February 6, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  4. ^ Sherman, Mitch (September 11, 2016). "ASU RB Ballage scores 8 TDs, ties NCAA record". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Haller, Doug (November 3, 2016). "Arizona State's 'Sparky' formation grows through injury issues". AZCentral. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  6. ^ Jones, Kaelen (September 11, 2016). "ASU Football: Why the "Sparky" formation was so effective". House of Sparky. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Haller, Doug (November 19, 2015). "ASU's Kalen Ballage: Don't judge a back by his size". AZCentral.com. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Kalen Ballage Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "2018 Draft Scout Kalen Ballage, Arizona State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Nogle, Kevin (April 28, 2018). "Miami Dolphins 2018 draft results: Second 4th round selection has Miami adding Kalen Ballage". ThePhinsider.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Dolphins' Kalen Ballage: Active for first time Week 4". CBSSports.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  12. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings – December 16th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  13. ^ "Kalen Ballage 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "Dolphins Awarded Trevor Davis, Zach Zenner". MiamiDolphins.com. December 3, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "Kalen Ballage 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  16. ^ Cimini, Rich (August 27, 2020). "Dolphins trade RB Kalen Ballage to AFC East rival Jets". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  17. ^ Cimini, Rich (August 30, 2020). "Jets void Kalen Ballage deal, lose La'Mical Perine to injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  18. ^ "Dolphins Acquire Lynn Bowden, Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Allen, Eric (September 16, 2020). "Jets Place RB Le'Veon Bell, WR Denzel Mims and ILB Blake Cashman on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  20. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (October 5, 2020). "Jets Sign QB Mike White to Practice Squad, Release RB Kalen Ballage". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "Austin Ekeler Placed on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. October 9, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Make Roster Moves". Chargers.com. November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  23. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Kalen Ballage to Active Roster; Place Justin Jackson on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. November 14, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "Kalen Ballage 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  25. ^ Varley, Teresa (March 30, 2021). "Steelers sign Ballage, Coward". Steelers.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Kalen Ballage 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Williams, Tony (November 2, 2022). "Colts Worked Out Four Running Backs". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  28. ^ Gosling, Ryan (November 17, 2022). "XFL 2022 Draft Tracker: Live Draft Results and Rosters From Day 1 and Day 2". Pro Football Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  29. ^ "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  30. ^ "San Antonio Brahmas Roster". www.theufl.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
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