Tag: micah abernathy

22 days until it is football time in Tennessee

Countdown to the 2023 season: 22 days until it is football time in Tennessee

Tennessee will kick off its 2023 football season in 22 days.

Defensive back Micah Abernathy played for the Vols from 2015-18 and wore jersey No. 22.

He appeared in 44 games, recording 197 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, two interceptions, 11 pass deflections, five fumble recoveries and 192 kick return yards at Tennessee.

The Vols will kick off its 2023 season Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and ABC will televise the contest.

Tennessee’s home schedule has contests against Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

The Vols’ road schedule features games at Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri.

The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s third under head coach Josh Heupel.

Tennessee’s 2023 football schedule

2023 Tennessee Vols Football Schedule: Downloadable Smartphone Wallpaper

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Falcons sign S Micah Abernathy off Packers practice squad

The Atlanta Falcons signed safety Micah Abernathy off of the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Saturday.

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The Green Bay Packers will lose safety Micah Abernathy to the Atlanta Falcons entering the final two weeks of the 2022 season.

The Falcons signed Abernathy from the Packers practice squad to the team’s 53-man roster on Saturday.

Abernathy, who went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2019, revived his NFL career in Green Bay this summer. He intercepted a pass in his preseason debut and eventually made the Packers’ initial 53-man roster, although he was released a day later and has spent the rest of the regular season on the practice squad.

The Packers elevated Abernathy from the practice squad to the gameday roster in Week 1 and Week 13. He played six snaps on special teams against the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener and one snap on defense and seven snaps on special teams against the Bears in Chicago earlier this month.

Over two games, Abernathy produced one tackle.

Landing in Atlanta will provide Abernathy with a chance to play snaps over the final two games of the season. The Falcons play the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home to end the season.

Abernathy’s departure will provide the Packers an opportunity to add a new player to the practice squad to end 2022.

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Packers to fill practice squad by signing S Micah Abernathy

The Packers will fill the final spot on the 16-player practice squad by signing S Micah Abernathy, per Bill Huber of SI.com.

The final practice squad spot in Green Bay will go to safety Micah Abernathy, according to Bill Huber of SI.com.

Abernathy, who made the initial 53-man roster but was released to make room for safety Rudy Ford on Wednesday, cleared waivers on Thursday and will return to Green Bay.

After signing with the Packers on Aug. 10, Abernathy quickly became one of the feel-good stories of the summer. He intercepted a pass, delivered eight tackles and finished as the Packers’ second-highest graded defensive player at Pro Football Focus during the preseason.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said Abernathy consistently made the opportunities over the 20 days between arriving and making the initial roster.

A spot on the practice squad gives Abernathy a chance to continue his rise in Green Bay.

The Packers announced 12 practice squad signings on Wednesday and three more on Thursday. All NFL teams can have up to 16 practice squad players.

Abernathy’s return means there’s no room for kicker Ramiz Ahmed, who was expected back on the practice squad to provide insurance behind veteran kick Mason Crosby, but the Packers can still make a move to clear a spot.

The initial Packers practice squad:

QB Danny Etling
RB Patrick Taylor
RB Tyler Goodson
WR Travis Fulgham
WR Juwann Winfree
TE Shaun Beyer
OL Caleb Jones
DL Jack Heflin
DL Chris Slayton
OLB La’Darius Hamilton
OLB Kobe Jones
ILB Ray Wilborn
CB Rico Gafford
CB Kiondre Thomas
CB Benjie Franklin
S Micah Abernathy

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Packers releasing S Micah Abernathy to make room for S Rudy Ford

Needing to make room to fit newcomer Rudy Ford, the Packers are releasing safety Micah Abernathy.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he is releasing safety Micah Abernathy, who made the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, to make room for newcomer Rudy Ford, a backup safety and special teamer who is being signed on Wednesday.

Abernathy, who signed with the Packers on Aug. 10 and made the team 20 days later, was impressive over three preseason games this summer and could eventually return on the practice squad.

In need of experienced depth at safety and wanting to continue a focus on special teams, the Packers targeted Ford immediately once he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.

Gutekunst called Ford an “accomplished” special teams player and one of the “better gunners in the league,” who brings an ideal mix of “speed” and  “physicality” to the safety and special team roles.

Ford has played almost 1,000 career special teams snaps and 23 special teams tackles over his five NFL seasons. He has 4.40-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Abernathy, who previously played in the USFL, was the Packers’ second-highest graded defensive player at PFF during the preseason.

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Door to roster spot is open for Packers safety Micah Abernathy

Much is unsettled at safety for the Packers, leaving the door wide open for surprise standout (and elite athlete) Micah Abernathy.

It took Micah Abernathy all of two weeks to put himself into a position to win a roster spot at safety for the Green Bay Packers.

Abernathy, an undrafted free agent who played in the XFL and USFL, made two splash plays during the Packers’ preseason win over the New Orleans Saints and now has a legitimate opportunity to make the first 53-man roster.

If nothing else, the door is open.

Much remains unsettled for the Packers at safety. Gone is Vernon Scott, who was waived injured on Tuesday after hurting his shoulder against the Saints. Darnell Savage is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Dallin Leavitt is dealing with what could be a serious shoulder injury. Innis Gaines and rookie Tariq Carpenter missed a big chunk of training camp with injuries and only just returned.

Shawn Davis has a roster spot all but locked up as the No. 3 option. But the Packers will keep four or five safeties, and Abernathy’s case to be one of them is as strong as anyone else’s on the depth chart.

Through two preseason games, Abernathy is the Packers’ highest-graded defensive player at Pro Football Focus. He’s produced four tackles (one stop) without a missed tackle, plus an interception (watch here). The lone completion he’s allowed in coverage was a five-yard loss on a screen play he blew up.

The Packers have played him in the box (15 snaps), in the slot (13) and deep as a free safety (32 snaps).

Abernathy’s 17 special teams snaps rank sixth on the team. He doesn’t have a tackle on teams, but he also hasn’t made a glaring mistake. As always, the third phase determines who makes up the fringes of the 53-man roster.

There’s no reason why he can’t be an impact player for Rich Bisaccia.

While mostly unheralded coming out of Tennessee in 2019, Abernathy has an impressive athletic profile. At 6-0 and just over 200 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, finished the three-cone drill in 6.69 seconds, hit 38.5″ in the vertical leap and covered 10-10 in the broad jump. By any measure, he’s an elite athlete with legitimate explosiveness at the safety position. His Relative Athletic Score? 9.38 out of 10.

On-field production plus the potential granted by top-level athleticism creates the look of a young player with developmental intrigue.

Desperate for safety depth, the Packers signed Abernathy on Aug. 10. Nine days later, he made two huge plays against the Saints. Now, with the preseason finale tomorrow and final roster cuts six days away, Abernathy should have a legitimate shot to make the team.

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Secret Superstars for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar names the most impactful under-the-radar performers in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

There are those who will tell you that preseason games don’t matter — they are useless to analyze, as you have starters going against starters in relatively vanilla schemes, or backups going against backups; most of whom won’t be playing in the NFL when the regular season starts.

When you peel back to the truth past that hyperbole, there’s a lot more to it than that. The story in the middle of that is a huge ball of players who are either trying to establish themselves as potential starters, or are trying to save their careers in short spaces of time. What you’re looking for is how people fit into teams and schemes, or not.

And that’s why preseason performances actually do matter — they set the tone for the regular season more often than you may think.

Here are our Secret Superstars for Week 2 of the full 2022 preseason — the guys who stood out above the rest. These are not recent first-round picks, or lead-pipe locks to make a roster; these are the guys fighting for every bit of starting opportunities.

Newcomer Micah Abernathy makes incredible interception in Packers preseason debut

Packers S Micah Abernathy, who was signed nine days ago, made an incredible interception of Saints QB Ian Book.

The Green Bay Packers signed safety Micah Abernathy on Aug. 10. Just nine days later, the former USFL defensive back made the standout defensive play of the first half of Friday night’s preseason game between the Packers and New Orleans Saints.

In coverage against Saints tight end Taysom Hill, Abernathy came downhill fast and made a leaping pick along the sideline late in the second quarter. It appeared Hill tumbled down to end the route, opening the door for Abernathy to make a big play.

The Packers did nothing with it. Tyler Davis fumbled away the offense’s ensuing possession just a few plays later.

Still, the turnover play was a big one for a newcomer in Green Bay.

Abernathy, who spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts after going undrafted out of Tennessee in 2020, most recently played with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL.

The Packers are getting desperate at the safety position. Vernon Scott left the contest on Friday night with an injury. Darnell Savage, Dallin Leavitt, Innis Gaines and Tariq Carpenter all sat out the game with injuries. Can Abernathy make a late run at a roster spot? Big plays are a good place to start.

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Packers sign former USFL safety Micah Abernathy

The Packers signed safety Micah Abernathy, who played for the Renegades of the XFL and Gamblers of the USFL.

The Green Bay Packers once again dipped into the talent pool of the USFL to add a player to the 90-man roster.

On a day when general manager Brian Gutekunst waived former USFL receiver Osirus Mitchell with an injury, the Packers also signed safety Micah Abernathy, who previously starred for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL and Houston Gamblers of the USFL.

Last season, Abernathy finished ninth in the USFL with 68 total tackles. He added two interceptions, one forced fumble and seven pass breakups.

Abernathy (6-0, 195) went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2019. He spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts.

In Green Bay, he’ll be competing in a safety room that features the likes of Vernon Scott, Shawn Davis, Innis Gaines and rookie Tariq Carpenter behind starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. It’s possible Savage’s injury (hamstring) is forcing the Packers to add some numbers at safety ahead of the preseason opener on Friday night in San Francisco.

Abernathy will wear No. 46. He’s joining other USFLers Sal Cannella (New Orleans Breakers) and Ishmael Hyman (Michigan Panthers) on the Packers roster.

The Packers also officially announced the signing of running back Dexter Williams, who will wear No. 34.

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