Tag: Donovan Stiner

WATCH: Donovan Stiner snags interception in preseason debut

The undrafted safety intercepted Dallas’ Ben DiNucci in the third quarter, making quite the impression in the preseason opener.

Former Florida and current Pittsburgh Steelers safety Donovan Stiner wasted no time in his first action at the professional level on Thursday night. An undrafted free agent who signed with Pittsburgh shortly after the conclusion of the NFL draft, Stiner needs a noteworthy preseason to help secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

Early in the second half of the preseason opener in the Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys, Stiner jumped a deep ball from Dallas quarterback Ben DiNucci, returning it 15 yards into Cowboys territory. The turnover set up a Steelers field goal.

In addition to the interception, Stiner had two tackles and a pass breakup.

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Stiner appeared in 48 games during his Florida career, though he didn’t become a full-time starter until his senior season in 2020. He totaled six interceptions during his time in Gainesville. Some thought he would be a late-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but he went unselected before landing with the Steelers.

He is currently listed third on Pittsburgh’s depth chart at free safety, according to ESPN, behind star Minkah Fitzpatrick and seventh-round rookie Tre Norwood. Stiner could compete with Norwood for the backup spot, and he’s certainly off to a good start.

Given Pittsburgh’s relative lack of depth behind Fitzpatrick, Stiner certainly has a path to making the final roster. And with a performance like this in his debut, he’s off to a very good start.

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Donovan Stiner graduates after missing just one game in four years

Coming off a career-best season in tackles (though he didn’t manage an interception), safety Donovan Stiner hopes to land on an NFL roster.

Name: Donovan Stiner

Number: 13

Position: Safety

Class: Senior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 210 pounds

Hometown: Houston

High School: Bellaire

Twitter: @dstiner3

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST SACK PD
62 33 29 0 1

Overview:

Stiner may have been a three-star recruit coming out of high school, but the safety prospect out of Houston wasted no time finding the field with the Gators. In his first season in 2017, he played in all 11 games, mostly at special teams and as a reserve defensive back. In the process, he totaled nine tackles.

Heading into his sophomore year in 2018, he was ready to become one of the Gators’ top safeties. He played in all 13 games that season and started 12 of them, finishing with 49 tackles, two picks and the only sack of his collegiate career. He saw his role diminish slightly as a junior in 2019, and though he appeared in every game once again, he started just six of them. His tackle total dropped to 30, though he did manage to set a career-high in interceptions with four.

Stiner reclaimed his starting role for most of his senior season in 2020, starting 10 of the 11 games he appeared in. He finished with a career-high in tackles, though he didn’t record an interception for the first time since his freshman year. Overall, Florida’s secondary struggled, and at times, so did Stiner.

Still, he was a relatively consistent starter for three years with the Gators, and replacing him will be one of the biggest questions facing UF’s defense next season.

Video:

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Gators release list of inactive players for Missouri game

Due to an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Florida Gators football team, fifteen players are listed inactive as the game sets to begin.

The Florida Gators will be missing 15 players tonight when they face the Missouri Tigers at home in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after an increased number of COVID-19 positive tests were announced this week, yet the team still managed to field enough scholarship players to meet the Southeastern Conference’s minimum of 53.

Below is a list of the players sitting out as of game time.

3 Marco Wilson
6 Shawn Davis
12 CJ McWilliams
13 Donovan Stiner
14 Quincy Lenton
19 Evan McPherson
21 Ethan Pouncey
24 Avery Helm
25 Chester Kimbrough
32 Mordecai McDaniel
34 Lacedrick Brunson
47 Austin Perry
66 Jaelin Humphries
75 TJ Moore
77 Ethan White

The biggest names of note are defensive backs Marco Wilson, Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner, as well as star kicker Evan McPherson. The Gators will play shorthanded against a well-balanced Missouri offense but a less-than-stellar defense, which should make for an interesting matchup.

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