Kevin Christopher Minter (born December 3, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Kevin Minter
refer to caption
Minter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
No. 51, 41
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1990-12-03) December 3, 1990 (age 33)
Suwanee, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:246 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee)
College:LSU (2009–2012)
NFL draft:2013 / round: 2 / pick: 45
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:354
Sacks:7.0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Minter was born in Suwanee, Georgia, the son of Leonard Minter and Willie Mae Hollis. Minter attended Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee for his junior and senior seasons. He was a starter for all four years of his high school career. In his junior year, he had 137 tackles. In his senior year, he had 113 tackles and was named to the Class 5A all-state first-team.[1][2]

College career

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Minter enrolled in Louisiana State University, and played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2009 to 2012. He redshirted the 2009 season. The following year, he had 15 tackles. In 2011, he had 61 tackles and one sack. He had five tackles and a sack in the BCS Championship Game.[1]

In 2012, Minter had 130 tackles, which led the team and was the third-best total in the SEC. He also had 4.0 sacks. He had a career-best 20 tackles and two sacks against Florida, and his 17 solo tackles versus Florida was an LSU single-game record. In the Chick-fil-A Bowl, he set an LSU bowl game record with 19 tackles. Minter was a Butkus Award finalist, a first-team All-SEC selection, and the LSU team MVP.[1][3] Sports Illustrated named him to their All-American first-team. He left LSU after the season to enter the 2013 NFL draft. He ended his collegiate career with 206 tackles and 5.0 sacks.[1]

In 2012, he graduated from LSU with a bachelor's degree in general studies.[1][4]

Professional career

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Minter with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11+34 in
(1.82 m)
246 lb
(112 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9+38 in
(0.24 m)
4.81 s 33 in
(0.84 m)
9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)
25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[5][6]

Arizona Cardinals

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Minter was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round, with the 45th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL draft.[7][8] In his rookie season, Minter contributed as a special teams player as he only played two defensive snaps while making four tackles.

The following year, Minter appeared in all 16 games, starting four and totaling 44 tackles. The next two seasons, he started in all 32 games at linebacker, recording a combined 175 tackles and four sacks.

Cincinnati Bengals

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On March 18, 2017, Minter signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.[9] He played in nine games, starting seven, before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 14. He was placed on injured reserve on December 15, 2017.[10]

New York Jets

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On April 9, 2018, Minter signed with the New York Jets.[11] He was released on August 31, 2018.[12]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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On October 23, 2018, Minter signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was released eight days later.[13][14] He was re-signed on November 13, 2018.[15] He was placed on injured reserve on December 11, 2018.[16]

On March 13, 2019, Minter re-signed with the Buccaneers.[17]

On March 25, 2020, Minter re-signed with the Buccaneers.[18] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on January 11, 2021,[19] and activated on January 20.[20]

On March 20, 2021, Minter re-signed with the Buccaneers.[21]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2013 ARI 13 0 4 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 ARI 16 5 44 39 5 1.0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 ARI 16 16 94 72 22 0.5 8 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
2016 ARI 16 16 81 59 22 3.5 9 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2017 CIN 9 7 32 16 16 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 TAM 5 0 10 8 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 TAM 16 2 34 21 13 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
2020 TAM 16 1 15 10 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2021 TAM 16 5 40 26 14 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
123 52 354 255 99 7.0 27 0 0 0 0 7 1 1 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2014 ARI 1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 ARI 2 2 12 6 6 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 TAM 3 1 6 3 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2021 TAM 2 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 3 22 12 10 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Personal life

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He has been married since 2019 to Sydne Rie Minter, a Real Estate Agent in Atlanta.[22] They have a son, Kevin Minter Jr and daughter, Santana Minter.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kevin Minter Bio" Archived June 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. lsusports.net. February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  2. ^ "Kevin Minter Profile". recruiting.scout.com. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ^ "LSU's Reid, Simon, Wing, Ware headed to NFL draft". SI.com. January 4, 2013.
  4. ^ "Kevin Minter". cbssports.com. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Kevin Minter". nfl.com.
  6. ^ "Kevin Minter". nfldraftscout.com.
  7. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Arizona Cardinals select Kevin Minter in the second round of NFL draft". azcentral.com. April 26, 2013.
  9. ^ Shook, Nick (March 18, 2017). "Kevin Minter joining Bengals on one-year deal". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Marcum, Jason (December 15, 2017). "Bengals place Kevin Minter on injured reserve; sign Brandon Bell off practice squad". CincyJungle.com.
  11. ^ Allen, Eric (April 9, 2018). "Jets Sign LB Kevin Minter". NewYorkJets.com.
  12. ^ Lange, Randy (August 31, 2018). "Jets Cut 18 Players on Their Way to 53-Player Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com.
  13. ^ Arcia, Gil (October 23, 2018). "Bucs add a veteran linebacker and cornerback". Bucsnation.com.
  14. ^ Smith, Scott (October 31, 2018). "Bucs Promote Javien Elliott, Release LB Kevin Minter". Buccaneers.com.
  15. ^ Smith, Scott (November 13, 2018). "Bucs Promote Ogunbowale, Re-Sign Minter as Two Land on IR". Buccaneers.com.
  16. ^ Smith, Scott (December 11, 2018). "Bucs Put LB Kevin Minter on IR, Promote TE Tanner Hudson". Buccaneers.com.
  17. ^ Vitali, Carmen (March 13, 2019). "Buccaneers Re-Sign LB Kevin Minter". Buccaneers.com.
  18. ^ Smith, Scott (March 21, 2020). "Bucs Keep Kevin Minter in the Fold". Buccaneers.com.
  19. ^ Smith, Scott (January 11, 2021). "Kevin Minter Placed on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  20. ^ Smith, Scott (January 20, 2021). "Kevin Minter Activated from Reserve/COVID-19 List". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  21. ^ Smith, Scott (March 20, 2021). "Kevin Minter Re-Signs with Bucs Again". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  22. ^ "Appy Couple - Interactive Wedding Website and App".
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