Gerald Alexander facts for kids

Gerald Alexander (born June 28, 1984) is an American football coach and a former player. He played as a safety in the NFL. He is currently the defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Gerald played college football for the Boise State Broncos. The Detroit Lions picked him in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. He also played for teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. After his playing career, he became a coach.

Early Life and College Football

Gerald Alexander went to Rancho Cucamonga High School from 1998 to 2002. He was also a track and field athlete there.

He played a big part in helping the Boise State Broncos win the Fiesta Bowl in the 2006 season. This was a famous game where Boise State beat Oklahoma. While at Boise State, Gerald was chosen as a First-team All-WAC player four times. This means he was one of the best players in his college conference.

Playing in the NFL

Gerald Alexander had an interesting career playing safety in the NFL.

Detroit Lions Experience

In his first year, 2007, Gerald played in all 16 games for the Detroit Lions. This happened because another safety, Daniel Bullocks, got hurt. During that season, Gerald made 81 tackles, which means he stopped the opposing team's players many times. He also had 2 sacks and recovered 2 fumbles.

Time with Jacksonville and Carolina

In 2009, Gerald was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played for them for a while before being released in October 2010. Later that year, in November, the Carolina Panthers signed him. He became a free agent after that season.

Miami Dolphins and New York Jets

Gerald signed with the Miami Dolphins in August 2011. He was released shortly after but then re-signed with them in October 2011. In December 2011, the New York Jets signed Gerald. They needed more players at the safety position because their starting safety, Jim Leonhard, was injured. Gerald was released by the Jets in March 2012.

Coaching Career

After his playing days, Gerald Alexander moved into coaching, helping young players improve their skills.

Early Coaching Roles

Gerald started his coaching journey as a student assistant at Arkansas State University for the 2013 season. In 2014, he became a graduate assistant coach for the Washington Huskies.

Coaching Defensive Backs

In July 2015, Gerald became the defensive backs coach at Indiana State University. Defensive backs are players who cover wide receivers and try to stop passes. In December 2015, he took the same job at Montana State University. He also participated in special internship programs with NFL teams like the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to learn more about coaching.

California Golden Bears

Gerald joined the University of California's coaching staff in 2017. He was their defensive backs coach until the end of the 2019 season.

Return to the Miami Dolphins

On January 24, 2020, Gerald was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their defensive backs coach. He worked under head coach Brian Flores. He missed one game in November 2020 due to health protocols. He was with the Dolphins until February 2022.

Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders

Gerald joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 as an assistant defensive backs coach. In his first season with the Steelers, the team's secondary (the defensive backs) was very good. They tied for the most interceptions in the league with 20 in 2022. One of their safeties, Minkah Fitzpatrick, led the league with six interceptions.

In 2024, Gerald Alexander was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their safeties coach. However, in February 2025, he returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers as their defensive backs coach.