Mohamed Sanu facts for kids
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Sanu with the Atlanta Falcons in 2018
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| No. 12, 14, 6 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 22, 1989 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | South Brunswick (Monmouth Junction, New Jersey) |
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| College: | Rutgers (2009–2011) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2012 / Round: 3 / Pick: 83 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
Mohamed Sanu Sr. (born August 22, 1989) is a former American football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Cincinnati Bengals chose him in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Sanu also played for the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Mohamed Sanu grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey. He was born into a Muslim family. As a child, he also lived in Sierra Leone, his parents' home country. Later, he returned to the United States and lived in Dayton, New Jersey.
Sanu became a star athlete at South Brunswick High School. He played as a quarterback in a special offense called the triple option. This offense uses a lot of running plays. In his last year, Sanu helped his team reach the playoffs for the first time in almost 40 years. He even scored three long running touchdowns in one game.
Besides football, Sanu was also a top athlete in track & field. He was very good at jumping events. In 2008, he placed second in the triple jump and third in the long jump at a state championship. He also ran short races. Sanu is a big fan of soccer and supports the team West Ham United.
College Football Career
Mohamed Sanu played college football at Rutgers University. He joined the team in 2009.
Freshman Year Success
As a freshman, Sanu played as a wide receiver. He caught 51 passes for 639 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 62 times for 346 yards and five touchdowns. He often played in a special offense called the Wildcat formation. Sanu was the first freshman wide receiver to start for Rutgers under coach Greg Schiano. He was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl.
Breaking Records at Rutgers
In 2010, Sanu was considered one of the best wide receivers in the Big East Conference. In 2011, he set a Big East record by catching 13 passes in a game against North Carolina. The very next week, he broke his own record by catching 16 passes! In that same year, Sanu broke the Big East record for most catches in a single season. He had 115 receptions for 1,206 yards.
Over his three years at Rutgers, Sanu caught 210 passes for 2,263 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also gained over 3,000 total yards from different plays. He even threw eight passes, completing four for 207 yards and four touchdowns. He also had one interception and punted the ball twice.
College Statistics Overview
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Tch | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2009 | Rutgers | 13 | 51 | 639 | 12.5 | 3 | 62 | 346 | 5.6 | 5 | 113 | 985 | 8.7 | 8 |
| 2010 | Rutgers | 12 | 44 | 418 | 9.5 | 2 | 59 | 309 | 5.2 | 4 | 103 | 727 | 7.1 | 6 |
| 2011 | Rutgers | 13 | 115 | 1,206 | 10.5 | 7 | 4 | −2 | −0.5 | 0 | 119 | 1,204 | 10.1 | 7 |
| Total | 38 | 210 | 2,263 | 10.8 | 12 | 125 | 653 | 5.2 | 9 | 335 | 2,916 | 8.7 | 21 | |
Professional Football Career
Mohamed Sanu was drafted into the NFL in 2012. He played for several teams during his career.
Cincinnati Bengals Years (2012–2015)
The Cincinnati Bengals picked Sanu in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. He was the 83rd player chosen overall.
Rookie Season Highlights
In his first NFL game on September 23, 2012, Sanu did something amazing. He played as a special quarterback in the wildcat formation. On the very first play of the game, he threw a 73-yard touchdown pass! This made him the first Bengals wide receiver to ever throw a touchdown pass. It was also his first touchdown pass before he even caught his first NFL pass.
Sanu caught his first touchdown pass in Week 10. In Week 12, he had his first game with two touchdowns. He finished his rookie season early due to an injury.
Playing More in 2013 and 2014
In 2013, Sanu played in all 16 games. He caught 47 passes for 455 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals made it to the playoffs that year.
In 2014, Sanu became an even more important player for the Bengals. Other receivers were injured, so he stepped up. He had two games where he gained over 100 receiving yards. In one game, he caught a 76-yard touchdown pass. In another, he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to his quarterback, Andy Dalton. This was his second career touchdown pass. He had a career-high 10 catches in a game against the Carolina Panthers. The Bengals went to the playoffs again in 2014.
Final Season with Bengals
In 2015, Sanu caught 33 passes for 394 yards. He also scored his first NFL rushing touchdown on a 25-yard run. The Bengals had a great season, winning 12 games. They made it to the playoffs for the third time with Sanu.
Atlanta Falcons Years (2016–2019)
On March 10, 2016, Sanu signed a five-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Super Bowl Appearance
In his first game with the Falcons, Sanu had five catches, 80 yards, and a touchdown. He finished the 2016 regular season with 59 catches and four touchdowns. The Falcons had a fantastic season, winning 11 games and reaching the playoffs.
Sanu played well in the playoffs, scoring touchdowns in both the Divisional Round and the NFC Championship game. The Falcons made it all the way to Super Bowl LI. Sanu had two catches in the Super Bowl, but the Falcons lost in overtime.
Continued Success in Atlanta
In 2017, Sanu had a season-high 85 receiving yards in a win against the Green Bay Packers. He also threw another touchdown pass, a 51-yard throw to Julio Jones. Sanu finished the season with 67 catches and five touchdowns. The Falcons made the playoffs again.
In 2018, Sanu had a career-high 838 receiving yards. He also threw his fourth career touchdown pass to quarterback Matt Ryan. He had 66 catches and four touchdowns that season.
Sanu started the 2019 season with the Falcons. He had 33 catches and one touchdown before being traded.
New England Patriots (2019)
On October 22, 2019, Sanu was traded to the New England Patriots. In his first game with the Patriots, he had two catches. In Week 9, he had a season-high 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots made the playoffs, but lost in the Wild Card round. Sanu finished his time with the Patriots with 26 catches and one touchdown. He was released by the Patriots in September 2020.
Later Career (2020–2022)
Sanu signed with the San Francisco 49ers in September 2020, but was released a few weeks later. In November 2020, he joined the Detroit Lions. He played seven games for the Lions, catching 16 passes and scoring one touchdown.
In March 2021, Sanu re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers for a second time. He played in eight games that season, catching 15 passes. He was placed on injured reserve in November 2021.
His last NFL team was the Miami Dolphins, who he signed with in July 2022. He was released by them in August 2022.
NFL Career Statistics Overview
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Passing | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2012 | CIN | 9 | 3 | 16 | 154 | 9.6 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 73 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | CIN | 16 | 14 | 47 | 455 | 9.7 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 118.7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | CIN | 16 | 13 | 56 | 790 | 14.1 | 76 | 5 | 7 | 51 | 7.3 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 79 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | CIN | 16 | 4 | 33 | 394 | 11.9 | 52 | 0 | 10 | 71 | 7.1 | 25 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | ATL | 15 | 15 | 59 | 653 | 11.1 | 59 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | ATL | 15 | 15 | 67 | 703 | 10.5 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 51 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 66 | 838 | 12.7 | 44 | 4 | 7 | 44 | 6.3 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 95.8 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | ATL | 7 | 6 | 33 | 313 | 9.5 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| NE | 8 | 6 | 26 | 207 | 8.0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | SF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |
| DET | 7 | 4 | 16 | 178 | 11.1 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | SF | 8 | 0 | 15 | 177 | 11.8 | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 136 | 96 | 435 | 4,871 | 11.2 | 76 | 27 | 42 | 226 | 5.4 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 233 | 4 | 0 | 158.3 | 6 | 3 | |
Personal Life
Mohamed Sanu is a practicing Muslim.
