Background and career
Todd Jerome Gurley II (born August 3, 1994) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Rams 10th overall in the 2015 NFL draft. Gurley immediately made an impact in his first season by rushing for over 1,000 yards and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. From 2017 to 2018, he twice led the league in rushing touchdowns and was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the former. He also received three Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. During the 2018 playoffs, Gurley began to struggle with injuries that led to the Rams releasing him after the 2019 season. He played for the Atlanta Falcons the following year in 2020. Gurley announced his retirement in 2022 after spending a year in free agency.
Todd Jerome Gurley II was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Tarboro High School in Tarboro, North Carolina, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track. He played running back and defensive back for the Vikings during his junior season, totalling 1,472 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, as well as 79 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. He was named Rocky Mount Telegram All-Area Offensive Player of the Year for the 2010 season. As a senior in 2011, he was the North Carolina Associated Press (AP) Player of the Year after totaling 2,600 yards and 38 touchdowns. As a senior, Gurley helped the Vikings football team win the 2A North Carolina state championship, rushing for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the championship game against Lincolnton High School. Gurley was also a world-class hurdler and sprinter for the school's track & field team. He competed for Team USA in the 110-metres hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics, where he placed 3rd in the prelims with a career-best time of 13.66 seconds, but finished 15th overall in the semifinals. Also a top competitor in the 100-meter dash, he ran a personal-best time of 10.70 seconds in the prelims of the 2011 NCHSAA 2A state track meet, placing 2nd. Gurley was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, and was listed as the fifth best running back in his class. He committed to the University of Georgia to play college football under then-head coach Mark Richt.
Gurley became an immediate contributor to the Bulldogs' backfield as a freshman in their 12–2 season. In his first game against the Buffalo Bulls, he rushed for 100 yards on eight carries with two rushing touchdowns. In addition, he had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 45–23 home victory. Gurley took over as the starter the second game of the season against Southeastern Conference (SEC) East opponent Missouri and rushed for 65 yards on 10 carries in the 41–20 victory. In the following game against FAU, he had 10 carries for 111 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 56–20 victory. The next week, he had 16 carries for 130 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 48–3 victory over Vanderbilt. In the following week's rivalry game against Tennessee, he had 24 carries for 130 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 51–44 victory. On October 27, against Florida, he had 27 carries for 118 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 17–9 victory in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. On November 3, against Ole Miss, he had 18 carries for 117 rushing yards in the 37–10 victory. In the following rivalry game against Auburn, he had 11 carries for 116 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 38–0 victory. In the next game against Georgia Southern, Gurley became the second true freshman in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards, the only other being Herschel Walker in 1980. In the regular season finale against rival Georgia Tech, he had 12 carries for 97 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 42–10 victory. Georgia won the SEC East and faced off against Alabama in the SEC Championship. In the 32–28 loss, he had 23 carries for 122 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Georgia ended up qualifying for the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska. In the 45–31 victory, he had 23 carries for 125 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. In the 2012 season, Gurley started 12 of 14 games and rushed for 1,385 yards on 222 carries with 17 rushing touchdowns. His 17 rushing touchdowns finished tied for third in a single season in school history. Gurley finished second in the SEC in rushing yards, only trailing Johnny Manziel. After the season, Gurley was named First-Team All-SEC by the AP. He was one of two true freshman running backs to accomplish this feat in 2012, the other player being T. J. Yeldon of Alabama.
Gurley saw an expanded role in Georgia's receiving game in their 8–5 season in 2013. On August 31, in Georgia's season opener at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, Gurley led the Bulldogs with a career-high 154 rushing yards on 12 carries and two rushing touchdowns. Even though the Bulldogs lost the game 38–35, Gurley had an impressive performance against Clemson which included a 75-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. In the following game against rival South Carolina, he had 30 carries for 132 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with an eight-yard receiving touchdown in the 41–30 victory. On November 2, against Florida, he had 17 carries for 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with three receptions for 87 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 23–20 victory. On November 30, against Georgia Tech, he had 20 carries for 122 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with four receptions for 36 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 41–34 victory. In the 2014 Gator Bowl against Nebraska, he had 86 rushing yards and 97 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 24–19 loss. In ten games, he rushed for 989 rushing yards on 165 carries with ten rushing touchdowns to go along with 37 receptions for 441 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He led the team in all major rushing categories and receiving touchdowns. After the season, Gurley was named Second-Team All-SEC by the AP. In the spring of 2013, Gurley joined the Georgia Bulldogs indoor track team. He competed in the 60-meter hurdles, and recorded the seventh-fastest time in school history at 8.12 seconds, to take sixth place at the VT Elite Meet.
Georgia's 10–3 season in 2014 saw some unfortunate circumstances arise for Gurley in terms of compliance and injury. In the season opener against Clemson on August 30, Gurley rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries to go along with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the 45–21 victory. On September 27, against Tennessee, he had 28 carries for 208 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 35–32 victory. His 208 rushing yards were the most in a single game by a Georgia running back since Garrison Hearst had 246 against Vanderbilt in 1992. On October 9, Gurley was indefinitely suspended by the University of Georgia over an alleged violation of NCAA rules. It only took two days of investigation to determine that Gurley had received $3,000 over two years for signed autographs and memorabilia. Gurley missed the Missouri and Arkansas games before the NCAA upheld its decision to suspend Gurley for four total games. Gurley sat out for two more games until he was eligible to play against Auburn in their annual rivalry game. In his first game back from suspension on November 15, Gurley tore his ACL against Auburn, ending his junior season and his career at the University of Georgia. He finished the 2014 season with 123 carries for 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in six games. Gurley decided to forego his senior season and entered the 2015 NFL draft. His 3,285 rushing yards ranked second and his 36 rushing touchdowns tied for second in school history at the time of his departure from Georgia.
Gurley was selected in the first round with the 10th overall pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 2015 NFL draft. He was the first running back to be selected in that year's draft. He was the highest drafted running back out of Georgia since Garrison Hearst went third overall in 1993. Gurley's rehabilitation went ahead of schedule and during the team's preseason, while he did not play, he practiced without wearing pads. Shortly after, Gurley was medically cleared for full contact by St. Louis team physicians. On September 27, 2015, Gurley made his NFL debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. He was eased into action and finished the game with six rushes for nine yards in the 12–6 loss. The following week, the Rams visited the undefeated Arizona Cardinals for an NFC West divisional matchup. Gurley started slow with just two rushing yards at halftime, but rushed for 144 yards in the second half as the Rams edged the Cardinals by a score of 24–22. The next three games against the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and the San Francisco 49ers would see Gurley rush for at least 128 rushing yards per game. He scored his first NFL touchdown on October 25, 2015, against the Browns the Week 7 matchup. With 566 yards in his first four NFL starts, Gurley became the most prolific rusher in his first four NFL games since the AFL–NFL merger. Following the 27–6 win over the 49ers in Week 8, Gurley's jersey and cleats were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In Week 9, Gurley was held to 89 yards on 24 carries in the Rams' 21–18 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 10, he was contained to just 45 rushing yards on 12 carries in a 37–13 loss to the Chicago Bears. In Week 11, Gurley rushed for 66 yards on 25 carries against the Baltimore Ravens and scored a touchdown in a 16–13 loss. In Week 12, Gurley was limited to 19 yards on nine carries in a 31–7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, he was held to 41 rushing yards on nine carries in a 27–3 loss at home in the second divisional matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 14, Gurley rushed for 140 yards in the Rams' 24–14 win over the Detroit Lions. In Week 15, Gurley rushed for 48 yards, scored a touchdown, and became the third rookie in Rams history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (Jerome Bettis and Eric Dickerson) in a 31–23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 16, Gurley rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries in a 23–17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the second Rams rookie, the first being Dickerson in 1983, to rush for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gurley finished his rookie year with 1,106 rushing yards and ten touchdowns on 229 attempts despite making only 12 starts (he sat out the Rams' season-ending loss at San Francisco). On December 22, 2015, Gurley was selected to be part of the 2016 Pro Bowl along with fellow Rams players defensive lineman Aaron Donald and punter Johnny Hekker. He was named to the 2015 NFL All-Rookie Team. Gurley was one of the five rookies to be selected to the Pro Bowl, along with Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver/kick returner Tyler Lockett, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston. Gurley beat out Winston for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, earning a decisive 27 votes to 17 for Winston. He was ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
