Aaron Donald is an American former professional football player who played in the NFL for 10 seasons. Born and brought up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Donald was a first-round pick by the then St. Louis Rams (now Los Angeles Rams) as they selected him with the 13th overall pick. He has spent his entire career with the franchise thus far and has helped the team win Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
Aaron Donald, a native of Pittsburgh, grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar. He was one of three children, and his father, wanting to instill discipline and structure, introduced him to daily workouts. Donald attended Penn Hills High School, where he excelled in football, earning first-team All-State Class AAAA honors in his last two seasons. He chose to play for Pittsburgh over offers from Toledo, Akron, and Rutgers.
Also read: What position does Aaron Donald play?
Aaron Donald College
Donald attended the University of Pittsburgh where he played football on the Panthers football team. The 32-year-old made it onto the team in his rookie year itself, but he was limited to a backup role. Taking some time to adjust to the next level, Donald began to assert himself on the opposition from his sophomore season onwards.
What started out as 11 combined tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in his rookie season turned into monstrous numbers over the next three years of college football. The former Panthers lineman finished his college career with 179 combined tackles, 66 tackles for loss, and 29.5 sacks. He also added 6 forced fumbles to his college resume.
As his sophomore year began, Donald was given more opportunities as he transitioned from a backup role player to the starting lineup. With the added game time, he went on to become an outstanding player on the Panthers' defense. He had his best year as a senior where he racked up 59 tackles, which included 28.5 for loss, along with 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 with a boatload of other awards.
How many sacks did Aaron Donald have in college?
Over the course of Donald’s four years at the University of Pittsburgh, he managed 29.5 sacks. However, as a freshman who was a backup lineman, he received limited game time due to which he had only 2 sacks on the year.
As he got a more prominent role in his sophomore season once he became a starter, the Pittsburgh native’s numbers increased drastically. During his sophomore season, Donald put up 11 sacks in just 13 games.
Continuing to build on his second season with the Panthers, Donald had a slightly down year as far as sack production goes. Even though his other numbers such as tackles and tackles for loss all went up, his sacks fell to 5.5 in 13 games.
His senior year was his most prolific ever and he got back to being at his best. He went on to collect another 11 sacks from just 13 games to finish his college career with 29.5 sacks.
FAQs
Aaron Donald played 10 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams franchise only.
Aaron Donald has won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2017, 2018, and 2020.
Aaron Donald is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team – 2010s
Aaron Donald has achieved one Super Bowl ring in his career.
Aaron Donald explained the reason for his retirement is the passion to play the game is no longer there for me.
