Jamaal Westerman facts for kids
Westerman with the New York Jets in 2009
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| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive graduate assistant | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 21, 1985 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Brampton (ON) Notre Dame | ||||||||
| College: | Rutgers | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2009 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||
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| CFL status: | National | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||
Jamaal Akeem Westerman (born February 21, 1985) is a former professional football player from the United States. He played as a defensive lineman, which means he helped stop the other team from scoring. Today, he is a college football coach for Rutgers.
Jamaal was signed by the New York Jets in 2009. This happened even though he was not chosen in the main player draft. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He was named to the second-team All-Big East team twice, which is a big honor!
Westerman played high school football in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He went to St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Later, he moved to Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and attended Notre Dame Secondary School.
In the National Football League (NFL), Jamaal played for several teams. These included the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Montreal Alouettes, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
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Early Life and High School Football
Jamaal Westerman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 21, 1985. His family later moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There, Jamaal started his high school football journey at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
After his first year, he moved again, this time to Brampton, Ontario, Canada. He joined Notre Dame Secondary School. Jamaal was a starter every year he played there. He was the best player on his team and in the league for tackles and sacks. A sack is when a defensive player tackles the opposing team's quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
After graduating in 2004, experts thought he was a promising player. Colleges like Rutgers, Boise State, and Central Michigan wanted him. They all offered him scholarships to play football. Jamaal chose to accept the scholarship from Rutgers.
College Football Career at Rutgers
Jamaal Westerman received three scholarship offers from top college football programs. He decided to play for Rutgers.
In 2004, he took a "redshirt" year. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. This allowed him to train and get stronger. In 2005, he started playing and quickly impressed his coaches. He made six tackles in his first two games. In one game, he sacked the opposing quarterback, which caused a fumble.
Before the 2006 season, Jamaal was in a car accident with two teammates. Luckily, Jamaal and one teammate were not hurt. The other teammate only needed a few stitches. Later that season, Jamaal continued to play well. He sacked a quarterback for a loss of five yards. He led his team in sacks with six through eight games.
In a game against Connecticut, Jamaal made two amazing plays. He blocked a punt and also recovered a fumble by the Connecticut quarterback. Both of these plays led to touchdowns for Rutgers! He also had two and a half sacks in that game. By the end of the season, Jamaal was named to the second-team All-Big East. This was a great achievement for him.
During spring practice in 2007, Jamaal missed some time due to injuries. However, he still played well during the season. He recorded two sacks in games against Syracuse and South Florida. This brought his total to six sacks for the season. Rutgers earned a spot in the International Bowl that year. The game was played in Toronto, which is close to Jamaal's hometown.
In 2008, Rutgers tried to change Jamaal's position to defensive tackle. This is a different spot on the defensive line. However, he ended up playing defensive end during the season. He blocked another punt in a game against Morgan State. Sadly, Jamaal suffered a torn biceps injury against Louisville. This injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. Even with the injury, he still led Rutgers with six sacks that year.
Jamaal finished his college career with 26 sacks. This number placed him third highest in Rutgers school history. He also had 141 tackles and 45 tackles for a loss.
Professional Playing Career
New York Jets
The New York Jets signed Jamaal Westerman on April 27, 2009. He was an undrafted free agent, meaning he wasn't picked in the main NFL draft. The Jets' coach, Rex Ryan, believed Jamaal would make the team. He did make the team as an outside linebacker. In his first game on September 13, he made two tackles and one sack. On October 9, 2011, Jamaal had 5 tackles and 2 sacks against the New England Patriots.
Miami Dolphins
Jamaal signed with the Miami Dolphins on March 15, 2012. However, he was released by the team before playing any regular season games for them.
Arizona Cardinals
On September 1, 2012, the Arizona Cardinals picked up Jamaal. He played in five games for the team and made one tackle. He was released by the Cardinals on November 20.
Indianapolis Colts
Jamaal signed with the Indianapolis Colts on December 4, 2012.
Buffalo Bills
On August 14, 2013, Jamaal Westerman signed with the Buffalo Bills. He played in 12 games for the Bills in 2013. He was released by the team on December 10, 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jamaal signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 17, 2013. This happened after another player, LaMarr Woodley, had a season-ending injury. Jamaal played in one game for the Steelers during the 2013 NFL season.
Cleveland Browns
On July 24, 2014, Jamaal Westerman signed with the Cleveland Browns. He was released by the Browns on August 30, 2014. This was when they were making their final team roster.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
On May 7, 2015, Jamaal signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in 17 games in 2015. He recorded 17 sacks and was nominated for the Most Outstanding Canadian award in the Western division. He continued to have strong seasons in Winnipeg in 2016 and 2017. During those two years, he made 65 more tackles, 15 sacks, and forced three fumbles.
Montreal Alouettes (CFL)
On February 14, 2018, Jamaal signed with the Montreal Alouettes. He joined his brother, Jabar Westerman, on the team. Jamaal played five games for the Alouettes. He made 19 tackles and had three sacks.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)
On July 22, 2018, Jamaal was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This was part of a big trade for quarterback Johnny Manziel. Jamaal played in eight regular season games for the Ti-Cats. He made 10 tackles before getting injured on September 28, 2018. He suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, which is a serious leg injury.
In the middle of the 2019 CFL season, Jamaal was getting ready to return from his Achilles injury. However, he tore a muscle in his arm (triceps) during practice. This new injury meant he would miss the rest of the season.
Coaching Career
In 2020, Jamaal Westerman became a defensive graduate assistant coach for Rutgers. He works under his former head coach, Greg Schiano.
Personal Life
Jamaal Westerman has two brothers. His brother, Jawann, joined the Rutgers football team as a wide receiver. Jamaal encouraged him to try out for the team. His other brother, Jabar Westerman, was a first-round pick in the 2012 Canadian Football League draft.
