Leonard Fournette is a former Louisiana State University college athlete that now plays in the National Football League (NFL) with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two-time USA Today High School All-American was one of the most recruited high school players ever to come out of Louisiana and went on to become the first running back to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. Here, we will bring you up to speed with his NFL profile, injury status, and other facts about him.
Leonard Fournette Profile, Age
Fournette was born Leonard Joseph Fournette III on the 18th of January, 1995 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the eldest of four children born to Lory and Leonard Fournette Jr. His family struggled when he was growing up, and could only afford to live in the crime-riddled, violent 7th Ward section of New Orleans.
Despite all the negative side attractions, Fournette was able to stay focused on his ambition of becoming a star athlete and not get drawn into gang life. He attended St. Augustine High School where he was a two-sport athlete in track and football. As a freshman, Fournette was made a starter in the football team as he recorded over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in that season. His numbers were so impressive that he became the first-ever freshman to earn a scholarship offer from Louisiana State (LSU).
After his senior year, Leonard Fournette was named 2013 Louisiana Mr. Football. He was also selected to the Parade and USA Today All-American teams while also being named the latter’s Offensive Player of the Year. In total, Fournette recorded 7,619 rushing yards and 88 rushing touchdowns in his high school career to become one of the most highly recruited players from Louisiana with nearly 100 scholarship offers. The player, however, chose to remain close to home and attended LSU where he played from 2014 to 2016.
The high expectations and hype built around him did not prove to be a distraction as Fournette stacked his stat sheet. In his sophomore season, he recorded the highest rushing yards per game average of 162.8 rushing yards per game and was awarded the NCAA rushing title. That same season, he earned consensus All-America honors but finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. he went on to play one more college football season before announcing his intention to enter the 2017 NFL Draft where he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fourth overall pick.
Injury Status
Leonard Fournette’s battle with injury began just before his junior year at Louisiana State University. He suffered a high ankle sprain during a scrimmage game but was able to return for the season opener. However, during that game, Fournette bruised the same ankle and had to sit out the following game. He returned back to normal activities in the following weeks but again re-injured himself. He ended up missing a total of six games because of the recurring injury at different times throughout the campaign.
As an NFL player, Fournette suffered his first injury in preseason on the 12th of August 2017. He went on to miss the remaining 3 preseason games but was able to return for the season opener. His next visit to the medical room was in the sixth week when after carrying 21 times for 130 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, he had to leave the game because of a minor ankle injury. Fournette missed the following game but was able to return back to full fitness after that. Aside from missing a game due to a hard hit from Seattle Seahawks’ Earl Thomas, Fournette has remained injury-free as he continues his journey to becoming a Hall of Famer.
Career Stats
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
| ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
| 268 | 1, 040 | 3.6 | 9 | 36 | 302 | 8.4 | 1 |
Height, and Weight
Even though he is the dream running back of any coach, Leonard Fournette is built like a linebacker. This is thanks to his 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) height and weight of 228 lb (103 kg) which coupled with his mind-blowing speed, allows him to plow through defenders.
Other Facts About Leonard Fournette
Before putting pen to paper on his first NFL contract, Leonard Fournette signed what was the most valuable endorsement deal ever handed to an NFL rookie when he joined the ranks of sports apparel manufacturing company, Under Armour. After that deal, he signed on to represent sports nutrition company MET-Rx, and New Orleans-based beverage company LIFE10 Electrolyte water.
Fournette is a father of two children; daughter Lyric Jae Fournette and son Leonard Fournette IV. His first child was born to him by his high school girlfriend, Jamie Jones, in his freshman year at LSU. It is unclear if Ms. Jones is the mother of his second child who was born on the 6th of March, 2017.
