Jakar Hamilton

Jakar Michael Hamilton^[1] (born October 2, 1989) is an American football free safety who is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of Georgia and South Carolina State University.

Early years

Hamilton attended Strom Thurmond High School in Johnston, South Carolina. In his senior season, he scored 20 touchdowns, while helping his football win the Class AAA State Championship.^[2]

College career

After graduating from Strom Thurmond High School in Johnston, South Carolina, he chose to attend Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Georgia. After becoming a NJCAA All-American, he had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina State, and West Virginia. In a signing day event in which his whole family was in attendance, he chose to attend the University of Georgia.

While at the University of Georgia, he was a recipient of the Jeff & Stacey Rothenberger Family Football Scholarship in his Junior season.^[2] He earned the Athletic Director's Honor Roll distinction for the spring semester.^[2] He was the recipient of the James E. Farish Football Scholarship in 2011.^[2]

After his junior season, he found out that he had a stress fracture in his leg and would have to sit out the next season. He received a medical redshirt and eventually decided to transfer to South Carolina State University. He finished his playing career there, where he tallied 40 tackles and a kickoff return for a touchdown during his final season.

Professional career

On April 27, 2013, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following the 2013 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 31, but he was signed to the practice squad the next day.^[3] On October 26, he was promoted to the active roster following an injury to safety JJ Wilcox. He appeared in three games and registered 3 tackles, with most of his playing time coming in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions.^[4]

On August 28, 2014, it was announced that Hamilton would be suspended for four games after he missed a drug test in the offseason.^[5] During training camp he suffered hamstring and concussion injuries that limited his playing time. He was activated from the reserve/suspended list on September 29, proceeding to be declared inactive for 9 games and active for one game in which he didn't play.^[6]

Hamilton was released on January 10, 2015, to make room for Ken Bishop on the active roster for the playoffs. On July 13, he was suspended by the NFL for 10 games.^[7]

Personal life

Hamilton has an older brother, Mike Goodson who played for the Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. His younger brother, Demetri Goodson is a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers. His younger brother Antonio Hamilton, also played at South Carolina State University and is now a cornerback for the Oakland Raiders.

References

External links

• Georgia Bulldogs bio
• South Carolina State Bulldogs bio