Background and career
Larry Eugene English Jr. (born January 22, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker for the Northern Illinois Huskies and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At Marmion Academy, in Aurora, Illinois, English was named team co-captain, MVP, and First-team All-Suburban Catholic Conference both as a junior and senior. He made 98 tackles and six sacks while playing inside linebacker and as a running back he rushed for 312 yards on 38 carries (8.2 avg). As a junior, he had 100 tackles, and added two interceptions and two fumble recoveries during junior campaign. English lettered in football, basketball and track.
English was a medical redshirt in 2004 after playing in the first game of the season and sustaining an injury. The following season, 2005, he played 11 games, starting nine. He had 78 tackles with seven of them being for a loss. The next season, 2006, he was a First-team All-MAC selection. Started all 13 games and tied school record with 12 sacks, while totaling 51 tackles and forcing four fumbles. In 2007, English was the Mid-American Conference's MVP and was a consensus choice First-team All-MAC and a Fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele as he recorded 17 tackles for loss–which ranked 18th in the NCAA. Also in 2007 English had 10.5 sacks which led the conference. English also deflected two passes. As a senior (2008 Season) English again won the Vern Smith Award, given to the MAC's top player. Additionally, English was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year by the MAC News Media Association as well as Sporting News. He led the Huskies with eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss and he was an All-MAC choice for the third consecutive season.
Key: GP - games played; GS - games started; UA - unassisted tackles; AT - assisted tackles; TT - total tackles; T/L - tackles for a loss; Sacks -; FF – Forced fumble; FR – Fumbles recovered; PD - passes deflected; Int - interceptions
English scored a 34 on the aptitude assessment Wonderlic Test at the 2009 NFL Draft Combine, one of the highest scores ever recorded for his position, outside linebacker, and the 9th highest score of the 2009 NFL Draft Class. With comparison to IQ, a Wonderlic Score of 34 suggests English has an IQ of 128, twenty-eight points above average. Picked 16th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, English is the highest drafted player out of Northern Illinois.
English was selected by the Chargers first round, 16th overall, in the 2009 NFL draft. English was a defensive end in college, however, the Chargers indicated he will be an outside linebacker in the NFL."The more I learned about the 3-4 scheme and my abilities, the type of football player I am ... I think I will fit perfectly in it," said English. English had 23 tackles as a rookie, but suffered a foot fracture in the 2010 training camp and started just four games in total going into the 2013 season for the Chargers. English continued to struggle with injuries and poor play, missing 21 games and accumulating just 6 combined sacks between 2011 and 2013. He was released by the Chargers on July 22, 2014.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
