Quentin John Coryatt (born August 1, 1970) is a formerAmerican footballlinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL) for theIndianapolis Colts andDallas Cowboys. He playedcollege football atTexas A&M University. He is distinguished as being the firstCrucian to play in the NFL.

Coryatt was born inSt. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he was raised until the age of 15. He attendedRobert E. Lee High School inBaytown, Texas. As a senior, he received All-district, All-area and All-Greater Houston honors. He also practicedbaseball andtrack.

He accepted a football scholarship fromTexas A&M University. He didn't play in his first two years after failing to meet the requirements ofProposition 48.

As a junior, he became a starter atinside linebacker. He posted 92 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks, 18 quarterback pressures and 2 fumble recoveries. He receivedSWC Newcomer of the Year honors, contributing to the defense ranking first in the nation. He was the centerpiece of an outstanding Aggie defensive unit (nicknamed "Wrecking Crew"), along with players likeMark Wheeler,Marcus Buckley,Kevin Smith,Derrick Frazier, andPatrick Bates.

As a senior, he registered 92 tackles (second on the team), 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 3 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He gained fame in a nationally televised game by knocking outTexas Christian Universitywide receiver Kyle McPherson with a ferocious hit on a pass over the middle, breaking McPherson's jaw in three places.ESPN named it the "Hit of the Year". He was selected second-teamAll-American,All-SWC, and aSWC Defensive Player of the Year. In the1992 Cotton Bowl Classic, the Aggies lost 10–2 againstFlorida State University, with Coryatt producing the only points after making a sack for a safety, while also having 15 tackles (10 solo), 3 tackles for loss and onesafety.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

Entering the1992 NFL draft, theIndianapolis Colts owned the first two overall draft picks. After selectingdefensive tackleSteve Emtman, the team chose Coryatt who was projected as the No. 1linebacker.^[2][3][4] It was the highest draft position for a Texas A&M player sinceJohn David Crow in1958.^[5]

As a rookie, he became the starter atleft inside linebacker in the team's3-4 defense for the first seven games. On October 27, he was placed on theinjured reserve list with a broken left wrist he suffered in the seventh game against theMiami Dolphins.^[6] He recorded 54 tackles (at the time of the injury second on the team), 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

In1993, the team changed to a4-3 defense and he was named the starter atmiddle linebacker. He tallied 150 tackles (led the team), 11 passes defensed, 8 quarterback pressures, one sack and one forced fumble.

In1994,Vince Tobin was hired as the newdefensive coordinator and proceeded to move Coryatt toright outside linebacker, where he registered 141 tackles (third on the team), 6 passes defensed, one sack, 2 quarterback pressures and one fumble recovery. He set the franchise record for the longest fumble return (78 yards) against thePittsburgh Steelers.

In1995, he started atright outside linebacker, recording 163 tackles (second on the team), 2.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries, 7 passes defensed, 3 fumble recoveries and his first career interception, while helping the team reach the AFC Championship Game.^[7]

In1996, he was arestricted free agent and was signed to a $17.5 million offer sheet by theJacksonville Jaguars, which the Colts ended up matching, ensuring he would remain with the team.^[8] He played just eight games in the season, after tearing 20 percent of his left pectoral muscle and later in the season tearing his right pectoral muscle off the bone, which was a career-threatening injury.^[9] He finished with 58 tackles, 4 quarterback pressures, 2 fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

In1997, he was limited with an injured left shoulder, starting 15 games (11 at the right side and 4 at the left side). He missed the game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers with an Achilles injury. He posted 116 tackles (second on the team), 2 sacks, 6 quarterback pressures, 2 interceptions, one pass defensed and 2 forced fumbles. He was waived injured on August 31,1998. He underwent reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder on September 30.^[10]

TheDallas Cowboys gambled that Coryatt could regain his form and signed him as afree agent on April 17,1999. He was expected to be the starter atstrongside linebacker, but was slowed down by an Achilles injury suffered during a June minicamp and also had problems with his surgically reconstructed left shoulder.

After not being able to overcome his injuries, he initially announced his retirement on September 14.^[11] He tried again to come back in December, playing in 4 games (one start), while making only one tackle.^[12] He was released on February 13,2000.^[13]

Coryatt played in 82 games over a seven-year stretch in theNFL and although he was a solid contributor, injuries didn't allow him to live up to the stardom that was expected of him by virtue of his high draft status.

• 1970 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• United States Virgin Islands players of American football
• American football linebackers
• Texas A&M Aggies football players
• Indianapolis Colts players
• Dallas Cowboys players
• Second overall NFL draft picks

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from June 2024