. . also had a career-high 208 all-purpose yards (157 rushing, 49 kick return, 2 receiving) against the Terrapins . . . . started Northwestern game for his third start in a row at running back, logging career-high seven catches for 30 yards, along with five carries for 12 yards, adding two kick returns for 29 yards, finishing with 71 all-purpose yards . had four rushes, one catch and one kick return against Ohio State . his oldest brother, Cameron, was a 2011 NFL first-round draft choice (No. his late father, Craig, played college football at Pittsburgh before spending 11 years in the NFL with New Orleans (1988-1991), Chicago (1992), Atlanta (1994-95), St. Louis (1997) and Indianapolis (1998); he rushed for 4,301 career yards and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1995 with the Falcons . . 31 overall) out of Ohio State and is in his 10th season with the Steelers as a defensive end . . . . Heyward carried the ball 15 times for 43 yards in that game but did catch a touchdown pass. . . . . . . named honorable mention All-Big Ten as kick returner as selected by the media . . All rights reserved. They ask him questions and you can tell he's the oldest guy in the room. Speed is one of the key skills cornerbacks need to possess, and University of Minnesota product Jalen Myrick has it. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In fact, he wanted to stay at Michigan State. . . . . “He has gone above and beyond to be a leader for that room,” running backs coach William Peagler said. . Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. . HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Versatile athlete played five different positions (quarterback, receiver, running back, safety, punter) and was a three-year starter on varsity for Coach Mark Fleetwood at Peachtree Ridge High School . That was before the Michigan State junior running back was noticeably absent from Saturday’s 40-31 win against Indiana in East Lansing. totaled 139 all-purpose yards vs. Rutgers, with 81 rushing yards on 19 carries, 27 receiving yards on four catches and 31 kick return yards on one kick return, including a 26-yard run with just over one minute remaining that gave MSU a first down and sealed the win . . had four catches for 43 yards at Arizona State; added team-leading 22 yards on five carries . selected for the 2016 Gwinnett All-Star Game . I know sometimes you have that outside noise when you transfer and all that stuff and decide to come back there's some riffraff and things like that, but he's been unbelievable. . . . . . . A week later, in a blowout win over Western Michigan, Collins ran for 192 yards and Heyward’s role quickly diminished. . . 31 overall) out of Ohio State and just finished his seventh season in the NFL with the Steelers (2011-17) as a defensive end . What is certain, though, is Heyward isn’t about to waste his second chance at playing for the Spartans. scored first TD of Spartan career at Rutgers on a 7-yard TD catch and added one rush for 7 yards . 30) by Scout.com . had five games with at least 100 all-purpose yards . . ran for 250 yards on 57 carries and accounted for 10 rushing TDs . Time: 4.28 seconds. 67) and ESPN.com (No. . made first start of career in Indiana game and rushed 12 times for 23 yards, along with one catch for 16 yards . Heyward is grateful for that connection with his teammates, too. has returned 33 kickoffs in his career for 723 yards . . four-year starter on the basketball team . . scored on an 18-yard TD in the first quarter and on an 80-yard TD in the fourth quarter that put MSU on top 24-3 . . The kids love him. had three carries for 6 yards with one catch for 6 yards in Arizona State game . He’s been a great leader for those guys.”. Connor Heyward (11) RB - Game-by-Game Statistics: 2017 Two-year letterwinner has played in 29 career games, including nine starts . . Once he got the go-ahead from Tucker, though, the flip switched. . Heyward was dedicated to getting back into playing shape. . . had smashing debut as kick returner in Minnesota game, posting three returns for 115 yards (38.3 ypr) with a long of 55-yards, steam-rolling tackler on way out-of-bounds . posted three carries for 17 yards to go with two catches for 11 yards at Northwestern . He carried the ball just nine times over the next three games before not dressing in Week 5 against Indiana. finished game with 100 all-purpose yards (48 receiving; 36 kick return; 16 receiving . . At that point, Heyward says, he became a typical college football fan, flipping the TV around, not doing much running and, quite frankly, not staying in shape. Are you a Stathead, too? His 4.28 at the 2017 combine is one of the fastest 40-yard dash times we’ve ever seen, but he’s still waiting for his breakout season. . led MSU in rushing yards (529; 40.7 ypg), rushing touchdowns (5), carries (118), all-purpose yards (1,065; 81.9 ypg) and kick returns (13 for 287 yards; 22.1 avg.) “And me not being my normal self…I’m very talkative and I just felt like I kind of shut down for a little bit when all that happened.”. It was an about-face from where Heyward found himself just a handful of months earlier. . . . He did so quickly and entered preseason camp this year at around 227 pounds, below the 234 he was at during the first part of last season. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. . . also led MSU with four receptions (16 yards) . 2019 SEASON (JUNIOR): Had 131 all-purpose yards (79 rushing, 52 receiving) in four games . . . . . Site Last Updated: Thursday, October 22, 6:51AM Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? added a 19-yard kickoff return . Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. . . EAST LANSING – Connor Heyward appeared in 29 straight games. . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. . “I felt like I had some unfinished business.”, More: In return to MSU, Harlon Barnett sees 'No Fly Zone' similarities in secondary. . . As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. rushed for 42 yards on five carries (8.4 avg.) collected 177 all-purpose yards at Nebraska for second-best output of the season (208 vs. Maryland) . The COVID-19 shutdown didn’t hurt, either, as Heyward returned home with only one focus — getting in shape. “Ultimately, my heart was still here,” Heyward said. he scored the first two rushing TDs of his career (17 yards with 9:06 left in the third quarter; game-winning 13-yarder with two minutes left in fourth quarter) . 91) . . . . Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. But it’s his renewed approach to the game that is standing out. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. also named the team’s most outstanding underclass back . had one kick return for 20 yards in Indiana and was also on offense, attempting one pass that was knocked down in the end zone . . . . Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Thursday, October 29, 6:53AM. born Jan. 22, 1999 . I didn’t really have that discipline and somebody in my ear. “I looked myself in the mirror,” Heyward recalled, “and I was like, there's no excuses. 96) . Two-year letterwinner has played in 29 career games, including nine starts . on the ground against the Huskers, had a career-high 21 carries for 80 yards, adding five receptions for a career-best 78 yards, including a career-long 36-yard catch in the third quarter and a 34-yard catch in the fourth quarter . his late father, Craig, played college football at Pittsburgh before spending 11 years in the NFL with New Orleans (1988-1991), Chicago (1992), Atlanta (1994-95), St. Louis (1997) and Indianapolis (1998); he rushed for 4,301 career yards and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1995 with the Falcons . . . . Join our linker program. . Find out more. . 7 Penn State on four kick returns with a long of 28 yards . led team with 20 kick returns for 436 kick return yards (21.8 avg. caught first pass of Spartan career at Michigan for 2 yards. . The kids respect him. . . team captain had 47 receptions for 580 yards, including six touchdown catches, as a senior in 2016 . “I’m gonna do whatever I can to stay here and be a Spartan forever.”, © 2020 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper, In return to MSU, Harlon Barnett sees 'No Fly Zone' similarities in secondary, 'It's becoming more real': Mel Tucker, MSU in overdrive with opener looming. Do you have a blog? . 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl . . . The Official Website of Spartan Athletics, Video Platform Powered by CBS Sports Digital. . The junior opened the season as Michigan State’s starting tailback in a win over Tulsa, but his numbers were far from impressive. . Hier sollte eine Beschreibung angezeigt werden, diese Seite lässt dies jedoch nicht zu. 11 Ohio State . . . . That came on Feb. 20, just eight days after Tucker was hired. . “I’ve been over-the-moon impressed with Connor and the approach he's taken. 2017 SEASON (FRESHMAN): Played in 12 games, making Spartan debut against Western Michigan, to earn his first letter . . made second straight start by opening Central Michigan game at running back, and rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries, scoring third rushing TD of the season on a 2-yard run in the third quarter . posted three carries and one catch in Michigan game, adding 16-yard kick return . . logged two carries for 7 yards against Purdue, adding one kick return for 21 yards . . recorded 71 all-purpose yards (43 rushing, 28 receiving) after starting season opener vs. Tulsa, including a 15-yard TD catch from Brian Lewerke, with a catch, run and dive, getting ball just inside the pylon on MSU’s opening possession for first TD of season. . ), ranking third in the B1G in kickoff return average . . . . “That was one of the biggest things I was taking very seriously and getting the playbook down because I feel like I have the ability and it was just up to me. . Subscribe to our Free Newsletter. . After four games, Heyward opted not to dress for a game against Indiana and two days later, he announced he was entering the transfer portal. . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. . We present them here for purely educational purposes. Or write about sports? . listed one of the top all-purpose athletes in the nation by 247Sports (No. . There are no statistics available for this player. . . . He worked out some, but he ran little and the weight started to pile on. Copyright © 2000-2020 Sports Reference LLC. Heyward was in the midst of a difficult time. he finished with 105 all-purpose yards (63 kick return yards) against the Aggies. 64), Scout.com (No. preserved his redshirt season . named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List for the nation’s most versatile player . It was late January during a trip to the Pro Bowl and a get-together with his family that reality started to smack Connor Heyward in the face. had two kick returns for 57 yards, with a long of 33 yards, against No. . had 465 all-purpose yards (38.8 ypg) . . . How much it all affects Heyward’s time on the field or the role in which he’s used is still being determined. . was named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week for his performance against the Chippewas . Heyward carried the ball 15 times for 43 yards in that game but did catch a touchdown pass. posted 100 all-purpose yards in win over No. . Schools were calling and he was taking visits, but he was far from playing condition. . . Year: 2017. After a meeting with athletic director Bill Beekman and another sit-down with coach Mel Tucker, Heyward announced he was staying at Michigan State. . Do you have a sports website? . There’s clearly a role for a player as versatile as Heyward, and his experience is invaluable. . also has an older brother, Corey, who played basketball at Georgia Tech (2013-17). . earned MSU Downtown Coaches Club Award for most outstanding offensive player . named first-team All-Gwinnett County and was an honorable mention all-state choice . had a season-long 49-yard kickoff return to open the second half . . his oldest brother, Cameron, was a 2011 NFL first-round draft choice (No. It was then that Heyward told his mom his gut was telling him he never should have made the choice to transfer. . I wasn't going out every night but I was just eating bad, staying up late.