Devonta Freeman

High school career

Freeman attended Miami Central High School in West Little River, Florida. He helped lead the Rockets football team to the 2010 Class 6A state championship and was named the MVP after gaining 308 yards on 36 carries, falling just 20 yards shy of a state championship game record. As a senior, he ran for a Miami-Dade County leading 2,208 yards and 26 touchdowns, and also recorded 663 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the final two games of the state playoffs

Considered a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated the best running back in the nation. He committed to Florida State on June 24, 2010.

College career

As a junior at Florida State in 2013, Freeman was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection and helped the Florida State Seminoles win the 2014 BCS National Championship Game over Auburn. He rushed for over 1,000 yards, the first Seminole to do so since Warrick Dunn in 1996. Freeman finished the season with career highs in rushing yards (1,016), receiving yards (278), and touchdowns (15) despite splitting carries with James Wilder, Jr. and Karlos Williams in Florida State's backfield. He led the Seminoles in rushing in each of his three seasons in Tallahassee.

On January 11, 2014, he announced he would forego his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.

Career statistics

Professional career

Freeman was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round (103rd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the eighth running back to be selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.

2014 season: Rookie year

In his rookie season in 2014, Freeman shared touches with fellow running backs Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rogers. Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 at the Georgia Dome, Freeman had two rushes for 15 yards and two receptions for 18 yards in his NFL debut. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, he scored his first career touchdown, a seven-yard reception from Matt Ryan in the first quarter. Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, he scored his first career rushing touchdown, a 31-yard rush in the third quarter. He appeared in all 16 games during his rookie season but started none. In his rookie season, he accumulated 248 rushing yards on 65 carries, 225 receiving yards on 30 receptions, one rushing touchdown, and two receiving touchdowns.

2015 season: Breakout season

Freeman started the 2015 season shaky. After recording just 18 rushing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener and 25 rushing yards against the New York Giants, Freeman received his first career start on September 27, 2015 against the Dallas Cowboys. Against the Cowboys, Freeman had a breakout performance by rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. The next week, he rushed for three touchdowns again to go along with 68 rushing yards against the Houston Texans. In the following game against the Washington Redskins, he rushed for a career-high 153 yards to start a three-game streak of 100 yard performances from Weeks 4-7. In Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, Freeman piled up 43 yards off three carries before leaving in the first half with a concussion. By the end of the season, Freeman totaled 1,634 all-purpose yards and 14 all-purpose touchdowns with 1,056 rushing yards (7th most in the season) and 11 rushing touchdowns. He also finished the 2015 season ranked third among NFL running backs in both receptions (73) and receiving yards (578) along with three receiving touchdowns. Following the season, Freeman was selected to the Pro Bowl, the first of his career, and was named a Second-team All-Pro. Freeman was named one of the captains, along with Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals, for Team Irvin in the 2016 Pro Bowl. He was ranked as the 50th best player in the NFL and the fifth best running back by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season: Super Bowl LI appearance

Freeman entered the 2016 season looking to advance on his successful season the year before. Freeman and Tevin Coleman would provide the Falcons with a solid running back combination in 2016. In Week 15, Freeman ran for 139 yards on 20 carries for three touchdowns in a 41-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 15. Freeman was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl as an original selection behind Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson. Freeman played a huge role in the Falcons finishing with a 11-5 record and earning the #2 seed in the NFC. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, Freeman had 14 carries for 45 yards and scored a touchdown and also recorded four catches for 80 yards. The Falcons won that game 36-20. In the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, Freeman recorded 14 carries for 42 yards and 4 catches for 42 yards and scored a touchdown. The Falcons defeated the Packers 44-21 and advanced to Super Bowl LI, where they played the New England Patriots. In the Super Bowl, Freeman would have 11 carries for 75 yards and a rushing touchdown, which was the first scoring play for either team and occurred in the second quarter. Also, he had two receptions for 46 yards. The Falcons would lose the Super Bowl by a score of 34–28 in overtime.

Freeman was ranked as the 41st best player in the NFL and the sixth best running back by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

2017 season

On August 9, 2017, Freeman signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension with the Falcons and is now the highest paid running back in the NFL.

Personal life

Freeman’s jersey number is 24 in honor of his aunt Tamekia N. Brown, who died at the age of 24 from a heart attack when Freeman was 14. He has her name tattooed on his left arm.