Aidan O'Connell
American football player (born 1998)
American football player
Aidan James O'Connell (born September 1, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft .
Early life
O'Connell was born in Long Grove, Illinois , on September 1, 1998.[1] O'Connell is the middle child of five brothers: Sean, Patrick, Liam, and Seamus. He also has one sister, Grace.
O'Connell played high school football and basketball for Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois .[2] He was not a highly recruited Illinois high school athlete, as his only scholarship offer came from Davenport University , a Division II school.[3] In 2016, his only season as a starter, he threw for a school record 2,741 yards and 26 touchdowns .[4] [5]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
40‡
Commit date
Aidan O'Connell QB
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Stevenson (IL)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Feb 6, 2016
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals : NR (IL ) ESPN : NR (national), NR (QB, pocket passer), NR (IL)
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
College career
On February 3, 2017, O'Connell committed to play college football for Wheaton College ,[6] but less than a month later, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue .[6] [7]
After not playing in 2017 and 2018, he played in six games in 2019 and started three. He made his first career start against Northwestern, completing 34 of 50 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.[8] Overall that season, he completed 103 of 164 passes for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. O'Connell entered 2020 as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury after three games.[9] He completed 88 of 136 passes for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. O'Connell entered 2021 as the backup to Jack Plummer , but eventually took over as the starter and completed 315 of 440 passes for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He decided to enter the 2023 NFL draft after the 2022 season.[10]
College statistics
Season
Games
Passing
Rushing
GP
Record
Cmp
Att
Pct
Yds
Avg
TD
Int
Rtg
Att
Yds
Avg
TD
Purdue Boilermakers
2017
0
—
DNP
2018
0
—
2019
6
1–2
103
164
62.8
1,101
6.7
8
4
130.4
15
-9
-0.6
0
2020
3
2–1
88
136
64.7
916
6.7
7
2
135.3
12
-64
-5.3
0
2021
12
7–3
315
440
71.6
3,712
8.4
28
11
158.5
25
-120
-4.8
1
2022
12
7–5
320
499
64.1
3,490
7.0
22
13
132.2
43
-81
-1.9
1
Career
33
17−11
826
1,239
66.7
9,219
7.4
65
30
141.6
95
-274
-2.9
2
Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height
Weight
Arm length
Hand span
6 ft 3+ 3 ⁄8 in (1.91 m)
213 lb (97 kg)
32+ 1 ⁄4 in (0.82 m)
9+ 3 ⁄4 in (0.25 m)
All values from the NFL Combine [11] [12]
O'Connell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round with the 135th pick of the 2023 NFL draft .[13]
On October 1, 2023, O'Connell made his first career NFL start, filling in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo . Playing against the Los Angeles Chargers , he went 24-of-39 for 238 yards and had his first career rushing touchdown on a goal-line sneak. The Raiders lost 24–17 in his debut.[14] On November 1, 2023, O'Connell was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.[15] During the Week 16 Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs , where despite his team winning 20–14, O'Connell went 9 of 21 in pass attempts for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter.[16]
NFL career statistics
Year
Team
Games
Passing
Rushing
Sacks
Fumbles
GP
GS
Record
Cmp
Att
Pct
Yds
Y/A
Lng
TD
Int
Rtg
Att
Yds
Avg
Lng
TD
Sck
SckY
Fum
Lost
2023
LV
11
10
5−5
213
343
62.1
2,218
6.5
50
12
7
83.9
17
11
0.6
3
1
24
173
4
2
Career
11
10
5−5
213
343
62.1
2,218
6.5
50
12
7
83.9
17
11
0.6
3
1
24
173
4
2
Personal life
O'Connell is married to Jael O'Connell (née Johnson), who played volleyball at Purdue .[17]
References
^ "Aidan O'Connell biography" . purduesports.com . Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2023 .
^ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (October 6, 2016). "Daily Herald: Stevenson's 'O' vs. Lake Zurich's 'D' " . Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved March 6, 2023 .
^ Narang, Bobby (December 14, 2016). "Recruiting notes: Stevenson's Aidan O'Connell opts for college football" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved March 6, 2023 .
^ Reaven, Steve (March 6, 2017). "Purdue-bound QB Aidan O'Connell wraps up Stevenson athletic career" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (September 15, 2016). "Stevenson's O'Connell making the most of his chance" . Football Focus . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ a b Carmin, Mike (November 8, 2019). "Aidan O'Connell's journey ; Wheaton College commitment to Purdue's starting quarterback" . Lafayette Journal & Courier . Retrieved March 6, 2023 .
^ Narang, Bob (December 9, 2021). "Aidan O'Connell had no Division I scholarship offers coming out of Stevenson. But in his first season starting for Purdue, he has become one of the nation's top QBs. Is the NFL next?" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ Carmin, Mike (November 9, 2019). "Purdue, Aidan O'Connell produce more fourth-quarter magic at Northwestern" . Journal and Courier . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ Rittenberg, Adam (December 4, 2020). "Purdue's O'Connell to have surgery; season over" . ESPN.com . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ Fezler, D. J. (December 13, 2021). "Quarterback Aidan O'Connell Announces Decision to Return to Purdue Next Season" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved October 7, 2023 .
^ "Aidan O'Connell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile" . NFL.com . Retrieved April 28, 2023 .
^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Aidan O'Connell College Football Profile" . DraftScout.com . Retrieved April 28, 2023 .
^ Edwards, Levi (April 29, 2023). "Raiders trade up to No. 135 to select QB Aidan O'Connell" . Raiders.com . Retrieved April 29, 2023 .
^ Edwards, Levi (October 1, 2023). "What did rookie Aidan O'Connell learn in his first NFL start?" . Las Vegas Raiders . Retrieved October 2, 2023 .
^ Simmons, Myles (November 1, 2023). "Aidan O'Connell will replace Jimmy Garoppolo as Raiders starting QB" . NBC Sports . Retrieved November 2, 2023 .
^ Skretta, Dave (December 25, 2023). "Raiders stun sloppy Chiefs with 2 defensive TDs in 20-14 victory on Christmas Day" . Yahoo! News . Retrieved December 25, 2023 .
^ Auerbach, Nicole (August 30, 2022). "Aidan O'Connell, Purdue's elder statesman QB, sets sights on a season for the ages" . The Athletic . Retrieved December 6, 2022 .
External links
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