LaDarius Markeis Gunter Sr. (born May 13, 1992) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Miami, and was signed by the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Gunter also spent time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and the DC Defenders of the XFL.

LaDarius Gunter
refer to caption
Gunter with the Green Bay Packers in 2017
No. 36, 23
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1992-05-13) May 13, 1992 (age 32)
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Jefferson Davis
(Montgomery, Alabama)
College:Miami (FL)
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:54
Forced fumbles:2
Pass deflections:12
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Gunter attended Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery, Alabama, participating in football and track and field. He played cornerback, safety, and outside linebacker for the Volunteers. Gunter also set personal records of 22.93 in the 200 and 1:03.45 in the 400 meters.[1] However, he was unable to go to a top football program out of high school due to low test scores.[2]

College career

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Gunter attended Fort Scott Community College for two years before transferring to the University of Miami.[3] During his first year at Miami in 2012, Gunter played in 12 games with five starts.[4] He recorded 27 tackles and one interception.[5] As a junior in 2013, Gunter started all 13 games.[6] He finished with 46 tackles and three interceptions. As a senior in 2014, he again started all 13 games and had 28 tackles and two interceptions.

Professional career

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External videos
  Gunter's NFL Combine workout
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 12 in
(1.87 m)
202 lb
(92 kg)
31 12 in
(0.80 m)
9 58 in
(0.24 m)
4.69 s 1.68 s 2.75 s 4.41 s 7.18 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)
9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)
12 reps
All values are from NFL Combine[7][8]

Green Bay Packers

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After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Gunter signed with the Green Bay Packers on May 8, 2015.[9] He recorded eight tackles and an interception in the preseason, earning him a spot on the Packers' 53-man roster.[10] Gunter made his NFL debut on September 28, 2015, against the Kansas City Chiefs.[11]

On September 18, 2016, Gunter made his first NFL start, opening against the Minnesota Vikings in place of injured Sam Shields.[12] He posted his first career forced fumble, but it was recovered by the Vikings.[13] The Packers finished the season with a record of 10-6 and were the 2016 NFC North Champs. In the NFC Wild Card round against the New York Giants, Gunter was credited for containing Odell Beckham Jr to only four catches for 28 yards.[14]

On September 12, 2017, Gunter was released by the Packers.[15]

Carolina Panthers

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On September 13, 2017, Gunter was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[16]

On March 26, 2018, Gunter re-signed with the Panthers.[17] On August 31, 2018, Gunter was released.[18]

Orlando Apollos

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Gunter joined the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football for the team's inaugural spring 2019 season.[19] The league ceased operations in April 2019.[20]

DC Defenders

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Gunter was drafted in the 10th round during phase four in the 2020 XFL Draft by the DC Defenders.[21] He was released during mini-camp in December 2019.

NFL career statistics

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Regular season
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck SFTY PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR
2015 GB 8 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2016 GB 16 15 54 50 4 0.0 0 12 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0
2017 GB 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAR 4 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Total 29 15 56 52 4 0.0 0 12 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0
Source: NFL.com
Postseason
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck SFTY PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR
2015 GB 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2016 GB 3 3 13 13 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2017 CAR 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Total 5 3 15 15 0 0.0 0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

References

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  1. ^ "Ladarius Gunter - 22.93 - 200 Meter Dash - AHSAA Class 6A - Section 2". AlabamaRunners.com. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  2. ^ Chiang, Anthony (May 19, 2012). "Junior college transfer Ladarius Gunter making most of opportunity at UM". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  3. ^ Millan, Jorge (May 18, 2012). "Newcomer Ladarius Gunter made quick impact for Hurricanes this spring". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Casagrande, Michael (April 11, 2013). "Miami secondary improves after woeful 2012 season". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Degnan, Susan (August 5, 2013). "UM cornerbacks evolving as a unit". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  6. ^ Navarro, Manny (August 10, 2012). "Miami Hurricanes cornerback Ladarius Gunter making great strides". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Ladarius Gunter". NFL.com. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  8. ^ "Ladarius Gunter - Miami (FL), FS : 2015 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  9. ^ "Packers sign 17 rookie free agents". Packers.com. May 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  10. ^ Spofford, Mike (September 5, 2015). "Here's the Packers' 53-man roster". Packers.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. ^ Inabinett, Mark (September 29, 2015). "Ha Ha Clinton-Dix penalized for big hit in Green Bay Packers' Monday night victory". AL.com. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Hodkiewicz, Wes (September 18, 2016). "Packers' defense bitten by big plays". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Western, Evan (September 18, 2016). "Recap: Diggs burns Packers' D, offense stumbles in 17-14 loss to Vikings". Acme Packing Company. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  14. ^ Hodkiewicz, Wes (January 8, 2017). "LaDarius Gunter again answers the call against Odell Beckham Jr". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Packers move WR Geronimo Allison to active roster". Packers.com. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018.
  16. ^ Voth, Bill (September 13, 2017). "Panthers claim cornerback LaDarius Gunter". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018.
  17. ^ Henson, Max (March 26, 2018). "Panthers re-sign LaDarius Gunter". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018.
  18. ^ Henson, Max (August 31, 2018). "Panthers announce first wave of cuts". Panthers.com.
  19. ^ "ProCanes 2018". www.hurricanewarriors.com. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  20. ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD DRAFT TRACKER". XFL.com. October 14, 2019.
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