Mataeo Durant (born December 4, 1999) is an American football running back for the St. Louis BattleHawks for the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Duke.

Mataeo Durant
refer to caption
Durant with the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2023
No. 21 – St. Louis Battlehawks
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1999-12-04) December 4, 1999 (age 24)
Plum Branch, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:McCormick High School
(McCormick, South Carolina)
College:Duke
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-ACC (2021)

High school career

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Durant played high school football at McCormick High School in South Carolina.[1] As a senior in 2017, he gained 768 yards in just four games.[2]

College career

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He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils from 2018 to 2021.[3] As a junior in 2020, he rushed for 817 yards and received the team's most valuable player award. As a senior in 2021, he rushed for 1,241 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.[4] His 2021 total set Duke's single-season rushing yardage record.[5]

In December 2021, Durant declared for the 2022 NFL draft.[5]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 11+38 in
(1.81 m)
196 lb
(89 kg)
31+38 in
(0.80 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.43 s 1.60 s 2.61 s 4.47 s 7.40 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)
10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)
All values from Pro Day[6]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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After his college career, Durant was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2022.[7] He was released on August 23, 2022.[8]

St. Louis BattleHawks

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On November 17, 2022, Durant was drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.[9] He re-signed with the team on January 31, 2024.[10] He was placed on the team's injured reserve list on April 25.[11] He re-signed with the team again on August 26, 2024.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Hampton, Gregg (September 15, 2015). "Pushing It: McCormick's Durant getting attention from defenses, colleges". The Index-Journal. pp. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (October 9, 2021). "Mataeo Durant is running wild". The Index-Journal. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Keepfer, Scott (August 4, 2021). "Ever heard of Plum Branch, S.C.? No? Duke running back Mataeo Durant may change that". Greenville News. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "Mataeo Durant". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Levitan, Jonathan (December 7, 2021). "Duke football's Mataeo Durant declares for 2022 NFL Draft". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  6. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Mataeo Durant, Duke NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 30, 2022). "Steelers agree to terms 10 rookie free agents". Steelers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Schofield, Dave (August 23, 2022). "Steelers make their next round of cuts to get to 80 players, release Chris Oladokun". Behind the Steel Curtain. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "UFL Player Transactions – Wednesday January 31, 2024". UFLBoard.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  11. ^ @UFL_PR (April 25, 2024). "The United Football League has announced the following transactions:" (Tweet). Retrieved April 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @UFL_PR (August 26, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
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