American football player (born 1999)
Ezekiel Vandenburgh (born January 18, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Illinois State.
Early life.
Vandenburgh was born on January 18, 1999, in Vallejo, California. He moved to Freeport, Illinois, where he attended and played high school football for Freeport High School. He was a three-year letterwinner and also recorded over 100 tackles as a senior. He was a First-Team All-Conference in 2016.
College career.
Vandenburgh played college football for Illinois State. He redshirted in 2017.
In 2018 he played in all eleven games at linebacker and finished his first season with 22 tackles and a season-best four tackles in a game against Southern Illinois.
In 2019 he was a Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) All-Academic honorable mention team while also seeing playing time in all fifteen games. He finished the season with 51 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He recorded a half sack and four tackles in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Central Arkansas.
In 2020 the season was moved to the spring and was shortened to four games. He played in all four games and finished with thirteen tackles.
In the fall 2021 season he was once again MVFC All-Academic Team selection for a fourth-straight season. He started eleven games for the Redbirds and had 73 tackles and a team-leading four sacks. Against Northern Illinois he had a then-career-best fourteen tackles and was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week.
In 2022 he started ten games for Illinois State while tallying a sack in eight of the ten games. Against Valparaiso, South Dakota State, and Western Illinois he had three-or-more sacks. In the season-finale against Western Illinois he also had a career-high seventeen tackles alongside the three-and-a-half sacks. After the season he was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-MVFC, and also earned the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award for Division I FCS's best defensive player.
Professional career.
Miami Dolphins.
On February 21, 2023, Vandenburgh was drafted 38th overall to the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).
On May 12, 2023, Vandenburgh was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. On July 18, 2023, the Dolphins placed him on injured reserve. He was waived/injured on August 19, 2024.
Memphis Showboats.
On January 23, 2025, Traore signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL).
Personal life.
Vandenburgh married his wife, Leah, on March 18, 2023.
References.
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