Da'Shawn Hand

Da'Shawn Hand (born November 14, 1995[1]) is an American football defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.

Da'Shawn Hand
No. 93 – Detroit Lions
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1995-11-14) November 14, 1995
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school:Woodbridge (VA)
College:Alabama
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 4 / Pick: 114
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Total tackles:33
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Hand was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fathered by Sharif Hand, who was a junior in high school when Da'Shawn was born.[2] Hand's uncle, Damone Boone, was a Parade All-American running back at West Springfield in Virginia in the mid-1990s.[3][4]

After moving to Woodbridge, Virginia, Hand attended Woodbridge High School, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and track.[5] In football, he was an All-State defensive lineman. In his junior year, Hand recorded 110 tackles, 16 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Woodbridge finished the season 6–5, losing 0–17 to Haymarket Battlefield in the first round of the VHSL playoffs. After his junior year, Hand was named Rivals.com Junior of the Year, an honor that comes along with being rated the No. 1 prospect of one's class entering senior season. Media attention steadily increased, and The Washington Post made Hand the subject of a documentary series named First and 17, which followed him both on and off the field, "giving an inside look at the challenges facing a top recruit juggling school, football and his senior year."[6]

In addition to playing football, Hand also excelled in wrestling and track. He was a regional champion in Virginia wrestling. In track & field, he competed primarily as a thrower, but also spend some time as a sprinter during his final year in 2014. At the Runner Store City-County Championships, he earned a second-place finish in the shot put event, recording a career-best throw of 15.81 meters (51 ft, 9 in).[7] He placed 11th in the discus at the Gojekian Twilight Classic, notching a top-throw of 35.66 meters (116 ft, 9 in).[8] In sprints, he clocked a 12.24-second 100-meter dash time at the 2014 Garfield Meet, where he took 7th.[9] He ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and had a 33-inch vertical jump.

Recruiting

Hand was considered the nation's best recruit in the 2014 class by Rivals.com.[10] In 2012, he was the Rivals High School Football Junior of the Year.[11] With over 90 scholarship offers, Hand narrowed down his choice of college destination to three—Alabama, Florida, and Michigan—before the start of his senior season.[1] On November 14, 2013, his eighteenth birthday, he committed to attend the University of Alabama.[12][13] Eyeing a civil engineering major, Hand cited Alabama's civil engineering program as one of the key reasons he chose the Crimson Tide.[14]

College career

Hand attended Alabama from 2014–2017 under head coach Nick Saban.[15] In his true freshman year at Alabama, Hand was a regular in the Crimson Tide defensive line rotation and played in nine games at defensive end. He started his college career with one solo tackle against West Virginia. Hand finished with seven tackles on the year, including four solo stops and two sacks (−10 yards). Hand started nine of the 11 games he played in 2017, missing time with a minor knee injury. He had 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in the season.[16]

Collegiate statistics
Da'Shawn Hand Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
2014 Alabama SEC FR DL 6 4 3 7 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 Alabama SEC SO DL 8 7 9 16 6.5 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 Alabama SEC JR DL 10 10 11 21 2.5 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2017 Alabama SEC SR DL 10 9 18 27 3.5 3.0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Career Alabama 30 41 71 14.5 9.0 0 0 0 1 0 1

Professional career

Hand was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[17] He made his professional debut in the Lions' season opener against the New York Jets. In Week 4, against the Dallas Cowboys, he recorded his first professional sack.[18] In the following game, he was able to record another sack in the victory against the Green Bay Packers.[19] He was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.[20]

The 2019 season was an injury riddled sophomore season for Hand. He suffered an elbow injury early in training camp and missed the first six weeks of the regular season. He returned for two weeks, then suffered an ankle injury in Week 9 and missed the next three games. He returned in Week 13, but suffered a setback with the ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2019.[21]

Personal life

On July 29, 2017, Hand was arrested for driving under the influence in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[22]

References
  1. Sheinin, Dave (August 23, 2013). "Da'Shawn Hand: A vaunted college football recruit with a hefty decision on his mind". Washington Post.
  2. Williams, Preston (October 18, 2012). "Da'Shawn Hand of Woodbridge: The recruit who cares as much about academics as the gridiron". Washington Post.
  3. "Much-sought running back Boone signs with Maryland: D.C.-area star accents '96 recruiting successes". Baltimore Sun. February 8, 1996.
  4. "Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand has good grip on future". USA Today.
  5. "Woodbridge graduate Da'Shawn Hand still turning heads as NFL beckons". INSIDENOVA.COM. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  6. "About First and 17". Washington Post. September 6, 2013.
  7. "The Running Store City-County Championship - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  8. "Gojekian Twilight Classic - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  9. "Garfield Meet - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  10. Da'Shawn Hand. Rivals.yahoo.com (April 20, 2011). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  11. Friedman, Adam (February 4, 2013) Junior of the Year: Da'Shawn Hand. Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved on July 19, 2013.
  12. "Woodbridge DE Da'Shawn Hand commits to Alabama". Washington Post. November 14, 2013.
  13. "Da'Shawn Hand, No. 6 prospect in ESPN 300, commits to Alabama Crimson Tide". ESPN. November 14, 2013.
  14. "Alabama took unique approach in recruitment of Da'Shawn Hand". AL.com. November 19, 2013.
  15. "Alabama football: Nick Saban expects Da'Shawn Hand to return to practice during bye week". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  16. "Da'Shawn Hand College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  17. "Lions trade up with Patriots, draft DL Da'Shawn Hand". Lions Wire. USA Today. April 28, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  18. "Rookie Da'Shawn Hand grinds his way to sacks, starts with Detroit Lions". AL.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  19. "Rookie Da'Shawn Hand grinds his way to sacks, starts with Detroit Lions". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  20. "Lions place DL Da'Shawn Hand on Reserve/Injured". DetroitLions.com. December 18, 2018.
  21. "Lions place Da'Shawn Hand on injured reserve". Lions Wire. USA Today. December 12, 2019.
  22. "Alabama DT Da'Shawn Hand arrested on DUI charge". ESPN. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
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