 Love with theNew England Patriots in 2011 | |||||||||||
| No. 74, 98, 99, 61, 93, 77 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Nose tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1986-11-18)November 18, 1986 (age 39) Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | North Clayton(College Park, Georgia, U.S.) | ||||||||||
| College | Mississippi State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2010: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Alexander Kyle Love (born November 18, 1986) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anose tackle in theNational Football League (NFL). He was signed by theNew England Patriots as anundrafted free agent in 2010. Love also played for theJacksonville Jaguars,Kansas City Chiefs, andCarolina Panthers. He playedcollege football for theMississippi State Bulldogs.
Love was born inSouth Korea, where his father was stationed as an officer in theUnited States Army. He attendedNorth Clayton High School inCollege Park, Georgia, where he was a four-year starter on the school's football team as a two-waylineman playing bothoffensive guard anddefensive tackle. He was honored as the team'soffensive lineman of the Year in 2003, and asdefensive lineman of the Year in 2004. He would have two offers fromUniversity of Memphis andMississippi State University.
Following high school, Love attendedMississippi State University, where he played in seven games as a reserve defensive lineman as a true freshman in 2006, finishing the season with seven tackles. In 2007, Love started 9 of 13 games at defensive tackle, recording 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery. As a junior in 2008, Love made two starts along the defensive line, appearing in 12 games overall and finishing with 14 tackles and two sacks. Love started 12 games as a senior in 2009, recording a career-high 19 tackles.
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | 5.33 s | 1.85 s | 3.08 s | 4.98 s | 7.90 s | 28.0 in (0.71 m) | 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) | 29 reps | |||
| All values fromPro Day[1] | ||||||||||||
After goingundrafted in the2010 NFL draft, Love signed with theNew England Patriots. He became one of two undrafted rookies to make the Patriots'2010, opening day roster (the other was linebackerDane Fletcher), and made his NFL debut as a reserve in Week 2 against theNew York Jets. He was then inactive until Week 10, when he filled in for an injuredMyron Pryor as a defensive line reserve. Love made his first career start in the Patriots' season finale against theMiami Dolphins. He finished his rookie season with seven tackles and one sack in nine games played.
Love took a bigger role in the Patriots' defense in 2011, as he was active for all 16 games. In the Patriots' 3–4 defense, they often used Love atnose tackle, movingVince Wilfork todefensive end. He started 13 regular-season games, becoming a regular season in the Patriots' Week 4 game against theOakland Raiders. Love finished the season with 33 tackles and three sacks; Love played for the Patriots inSuper Bowl XLVI in a losing effortNew York Giants, he recorded a tackle in the game.[2]
Love played all 16 games combining with Vince Wilfork as a double defensive tackle combo. Love had 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks during the 2012 season. The Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship for the second straight year but lost to theBaltimore Ravens, 28–13. The Patriots waived Love on May 15, 2013, with a non football injury/illness designation soon after he was diagnosed with diabetes.[3]
Love was claimed off waivers by theJacksonville Jaguars on May 16, 2013.[4] He was released on September 1, 2013.
Love signed with the Chiefs on November 19, 2013.[5] Love was released by the Chiefs on December 3, 2013.[6]
Love was signed once again by theJacksonville Jaguars on December 23, 2013. During the 2013 season with the 2 teams he played for, he played in 2 total games with 4 tackles.
After not being offered a contract by the Jaguars, Love re-signed with the Chiefs on May 19, 2014. He released on August 30, 2014.[7]
Love signed with theCarolina Panthers on December 15, 2014.[8] He played in the Panthers postseason loss to theSeattle Seahawks and recorded a tackle.
Love appeared in 15 games for the Panthers during the 2015 regular season and tied his career high with three sacks. Love appeared in all three of the Panthers postseason games. He recorded a tackle and a sack in the NFC Championship against theArizona Cardinals. On February 7, 2016, Love was part of the Panthers team that played inSuper Bowl 50. In the game, Love recorded a tackle as the Panthers fell to theDenver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[9][10][11]
On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Panthers as part of final roster cuts.[12] He was re-signed on September 27, 2016.[13]
On March 15, 2017, Love signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers.[14] He played in all 16 games in 2017, recording 16 combined tackles and a career-high 3.5 sacks. In 2018, he played in 16 games with two starts, recording 19 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a career-high three forced fumbles.
On April 15, 2019, Love re-signed with the Panthers.[15]
Love was signed by theTampa Bay Buccaneers on August 16, 2020.[16] He was released on September 3, 2020.[17]
On March 26, 2021, Love announced his retirement from professional football on Instagram.[18]
Love is married.[18]
