Ht / Wt: 5'11" / 208 lb.
Mike Gillislee is a running back for the Buffalo Bills. He wears jersey number 35.
Gillislee was born in Deland, Florida. He attended Deland High School and played on the high school’s Bulldog team. He became the number seventh all-purpose running back prospect in the country after running for 1,149 yards on 227 carries in his 2008 senior year. He also ran for 900 yards his sophomore year and over 1,200 his junior year. Some talent scouting agencies considered him a four-star recruit coming out of high school.
Gillislee attended the University of Florida where he got to play as a true freshman in 13 games in 2009. He had 31 rushes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he had 58 carries for 325 yards and seven touchdowns. His junior year, he ran for 328 yards on 56 touches with two touchdowns. He shined in his senior year with 1,104 yards on 235 carries with 10 touchdowns.
He received a grade of 70.3. A grade of 70.3 at the 2013 NFL Combine means that the scouts felt he would be a quality player that will eventually end up starting on a team.
Gillislee bounced around the first few years of his career after being picked by the Miami Dolphins with the fifth pick in the in the 2013 NFL draft. He original signed a four-year rookie contract with the Dolphins that paid him a yearly salary of $580,500 per year. The Dolphins released just before the start of the 2015 regular season.
The Atlanta Falcons picked up Gillislee a little over two weeks after his release from the Dolphins and assigned him to the practice squad. Atlanta released him on October 22, 2015.
The Buffalo Bills came calling a few weeks later and signed Gillislee to its practice squad. He was promoted to the regular squad a month later. He played in the week 13th game against the Houston Texans and had a 30-yard run that gained the notice of the fans. He followed that up with a 60-yard touchdown in week 15 and a 50-yard TD run in week 16. He became the first Buffalo Bill to accomplish two 50+ runs for TDs in successive weeks in 18 years.
The Buffalo Bills signed Gillislee to a one-year contract that paid him a salary of $600,000 for the 2016 season. Gillislee is currently set to become a free agent this spring if he doesn’t resign with the Bills for at least the 2017 season.
You can follow Gillislee on Twitter and Instagram. His Twitter address is @mikescogilly and his Instagram address is @nothingwasgiven35.