Josh Ali (born March 3, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Kentucky and was signed by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
| Personal information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | March 3, 1999 Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Chaminade-Madonna (FL) | ||||
| College: | Kentucky | ||||
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
| |||||
Early life and education
editAli was born on March 3, 1999, in Miami, Florida.[1] He attended Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School and was a four-year starter in football, recording as a senior 43 receptions for 805 yards and five touchdowns.[2] An all-state selection, Ali was a three-star recruit and elected to play college football at Kentucky over offers from UCF and Utah, as well as several other schools.[2][3]
As a true freshman at Kentucky in 2017, Ali appeared in nine games and recorded five receptions for 25 yards.[2] The following season, he caught 10 passes for 115 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown.[4] As a junior, Ali started 13 games and recorded 23 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns.[2] That season, he played a key role in the Wildcats' victory in the Belk Bowl, making a crucial fourth down reception and later scoring the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds to play.[5][6]
In the 2020 season, Ali appeared in 11 games and recorded 473 receiving yards and a touchdown off of 54 receptions.[2][4] After being given an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he opted to return to the team in 2021 for a fifth season.[7] That year, he posted 601 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 41 catches while appearing in 10 games.[2][8] Ali missed the final game of the season, the Citrus Bowl, after being involved in a car accident.[9]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+3⁄8 in (1.81 m) |
191 lb (87 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
8+3⁄8 in (0.21 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Ali was invited to the rookie minicamp of the Atlanta Falcons, but was not initially signed.[11] He received a tryout on August 25, and six days later was signed to the practice squad.[12] Ali was elevated to the active roster for the Falcons' Week 17 game with the Arizona Cardinals,[13] and made his NFL debut in the game.[14] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[15]
Ali made the team's final roster in 2023.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2023.[17]
On August 25, 2024, Ali was waived by the Falcons.[18]
Personal life
editAli's father, Faheem, played college football at Louisiana Tech and later was in the Arena Football League (AFL).[2][7] Ali began writing a children's book series in 2021.[19]
References
edit- ^ "Josh Ali Stats". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Josh Ali". Kentucky Wildcats. August 10, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Hale, Jon (June 27, 2016). "Three-star 2017 wide receiver commits to UK". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Geoghegan, Zack (August 28, 2022). "Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 6 Josh Ali". On3. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Hale, Jon (October 30, 2021). "What to know about Kentucky wide receiver Josh Ali as he returns from injury". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Story, Mark (April 3, 2020). "UK wide receiver Ali aims to build off Belk Bowl star turn". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B1, B8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Moore, Josh (August 9, 2021). "Receiver Josh Ali eager to lead Wildcats on offense". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Moore, Josh (April 24, 2022). "From prospects to pros: NFL Draft résumé for UK wide receiver Ali". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hale, Jon (December 20, 2021). "Two Kentucky football wide receivers to miss Citrus Bowl after car accident". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Josh Ali College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Deighton, John (May 12, 2022). "Falcons announce 2022 rookie minicamp roster". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Pilgrim, Jack (August 31, 2022). "Jon Toth, Josh Ali earn NFL practice squad opportunities". On3. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Falcons' Josh Ali: Moves up to active roster". CBS Sports. RotoWire. December 31, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Josh Ali Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Deighton, John (January 9, 2023). "Falcons sign 18 players to Reserve/Future contracts". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Sheppard, Riley (August 29, 2023). "Why Falcons WR Josh Ali Made 53-Man Roster". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ McElhaney, Tori (October 4, 2023). "Falcons sign defensive lineman, place receiver on injured reserve". AtlantaFalcons.com.
- ^ Waack, Terrin (August 25, 2024). "Falcons begin 53-man roster cutdown, release 13 players". AtlantaFalcons.com.
- ^ "UK football star Josh Ali writing children's book series". WKYT-TV. April 1, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2023.