Background and career
Ryan Dean Shazier (; born September 6, 1992) is an American former professional football linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Shazier had a successful first few seasons in the NFL, including a Pro Bowl appearance in 2016. During the 2017 season, in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Shazier attempted to make an illegal head-first tackle that left him a paraplegic, after which he had to have spinal stabilization surgery and learn to walk again. After spending two seasons on the Steelers' physically unable to perform list, Shazier announced his retirement from football in 2020.
Ryan Dean Shazier was born on September 6, 1992, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida.
Shazier initially committed to play for Urban Meyer at Florida but rescinded his commitment after Meyer resigned as the Gators head coach. He then committed to play under Jim Tressel at Ohio State, but Tressel resigned five months later and was eventually replaced with Urban Meyer. As a true freshman, Shazier played in every regular season contest and started 3 games. His first start came near the end of the season against Penn State, where he recorded 15 tackles. He started the next two games and ended his season with 57 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. In 2012, he started all 12 regular season games for Ohio State. Against Penn State, Shazier posted 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception in the third quarter that he returned for the game-deciding touchdown. In a victory against Wisconsin, he had 12 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and he made a game-saving tackle on a goal line stand on fourth and inches. He would finish 2012 leading the Big Ten Conference with 17 tackles for a loss and place second in the league with 115 tackles. Shazier also had 5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles for the season. Against Indiana in 2013, he posted more than 20 tackles and tied the school record with 16 solo tackles and 5 tackles for loss. He was voted a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN.com, and Sports Illustrated. His 101 solo tackles were the second best in the league and his 143 tackles led the Big Ten. He also had a career-high 6 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. On January 5, 2014, Shazier announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft. Shazier finished his career at Ohio State with 315 tackles, 208 solo tackles, and 14.5 sacks.
Coming out of Ohio State, many analysts and scouts projected him as an early-to-mid first round draft selection. He was ranked the third best outside linebacker (19th overall) by NFLDraftScout.com. He participated at the NFL Combine and performed the majority of positional and combine drills except for the 40, 20, and 10 yard dash. Shazier also participated at Ohio State's Pro Day and completed the combine drills he didn't perform at the NFL Combine. On scouting reports, scouts and analysts listed his best attributes as: athleticism, agility, production, flexibility, acceleration, strong hands, and lateral movement. Reports considered his flaws as his: lack of ideal size, under developed vision, instincts, anticipation, and lack of awareness. NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock ranked Shazier as the fourth best linebacker (18th overall) prospect in the draft. NFL.com media analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked him as the fourth best linebacker (25th overall) in the draft. Former NFL executive Gil Brandt listed Shazier as the third best linebacker (19th overall) in the draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Shazier in the first round (15th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. He was the third linebacker taken in the draft behind Khalil Mack (5th overall) and Anthony Barr (9th overall).
On June 5, 2014, the Steelers signed Shazier to a fully guaranteed four-year, $9.50 million contract with a signing bonus of $5.23 million. Shazier began the season as the starting left inside linebacker. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Steelers' home opener against the Cleveland Browns. In his first career game, he made six total tackles (five solo) and a pass deflection. The following week against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 15 total tackles, with 11 of them being solo, in a 6–20 loss. Shazier missed weeks 4–7 of his rookie season with a knee injury. He returned for his first game back from his injury on October 26, 2014, against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the game with four tackles (two solo tackles). After playing two games, Shazier then injured his ankle and missed another four games. After returning, Shazier made six combined tackles in a 27–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 24. Following an 11–5 season the Steelers made the playoffs. In his first career playoff game, Shazier made 3 solo tackles and one assist in a 17–30 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In his first season, he finished with a total of 36 tackles, 24 solo tackles, and a pass deflection in five starts and eight games.
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.
