Azeez Al-Shaair facts for kids
Al-Shaair in 2023
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| No. 0 – Houston Texans | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | August 4, 1997 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 228 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Hillsborough (Tampa) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Florida Atlantic (2015–2018) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Azeez Al-Shaair (pronounced al-SHIRE, born August 4, 1997) is an American professional football player. He plays as a linebacker for the Houston Texans in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, he played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls. He was recognized as a First-team All C-USA player in 2017.
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Early Life and High School Football
Azeez Al-Shaair was born in Tampa, Florida. When he was young, he often traveled between Tampa and Saudi Arabia. His father worked there as an English teacher. After his parents divorced, Azeez lived in difficult conditions.
During his sophomore year of high school, his home burned down. This made him homeless. He traveled two hours by bus from a motel to Hillsborough High School. There, he played football.
High School Achievements
In his senior year, Azeez was a star player. He made 126 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He also had two interceptions and three forced fumbles. He recovered three fumbles and blocked six field goals. He even blocked a punt! Because of his great performance, he was named first-team All-County.
Azeez decided to play college football at Florida Atlantic University. He continued to visit other colleges to get offers. This helped him and his family.
College Football Career
Azeez Al-Shaair was a starting linebacker for the Florida Atlantic Owls for four years.
Freshman Year Success
As a freshman, he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. He was also a Freshman All-American. He led his team with 94 tackles. He also had 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble.
Sophomore and Junior Years
In his sophomore year, he again led the Owls in tackles with 113. He even returned an interception for a touchdown. He was recognized as an honorable mention All-Conference USA player.
As a junior, Azeez led Conference USA with 147 tackles. He also had 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble. He was named first-team all-conference.
Senior Year Injury
Azeez was expected to have a great senior year. However, he tore a ligament in his knee during practice in October. This injury ended his final college season after only six games.
Professional Football Career
Azeez Al-Shaair began his professional career in 2019.
San Francisco 49ers (2019–2022)
The San Francisco 49ers signed Azeez as an undrafted free agent in April 2019. He played his first NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played mostly on special teams and made two tackles.
The 49ers made it to Super Bowl LIV that season. However, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Azeez played in 15 games as a rookie, starting four of them. He made 18 tackles.
In 2020, Azeez got his first career interception. This happened in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2021, Azeez became a starting linebacker for the 49ers. He started 13 games and was second on the team with 102 tackles. He also had two sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries.
In 2022, Azeez had an MCL sprain. He was placed on injured reserve but returned to play later in the season.
Tennessee Titans (2023)
In March 2023, Azeez signed a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. He started all 17 games for the Titans. He finished fifth in the entire league with 163 tackles.
Houston Texans (2024–present)
In March 2024, Azeez Al-Shaair signed a three-year contract with the Houston Texans. During the 2024 season, he received fines for actions during games. He was fined for an illegal hit on a player and for a late hit out of bounds.
On December 1, 2024, Azeez made an illegal hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence had already slid to the ground. Azeez was removed from the game. He later apologized for the hit on social media. Two days after the game, the NFL suspended Azeez for three games. The NFL stated that his actions showed a "continued disregard for NFL playing rules."
Personal Life
Azeez Al-Shaair is a practicing Muslim. He observes Ramadan, which includes fasting. He even fasted during summer football practices at Florida Atlantic University.
