Micah Abernathy
Micah Abernathy | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1997 |
| Occupation | American football player |
| Known for | Safety in American football |
Micah Alexander Abernathy (born February 10, 1997) is a professional American football player who specializes as a safety. He competed in college football for the Tennessee Volunteers before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019. Throughout his career, Abernathy has been affiliated with several teams including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, and Green Bay Packers in the NFL, as well as the Dallas Renegades in the XFL and the Houston Gamblers of the USFL.
Early life
Born on February 10, 1997, Abernathy was recognized as a four-star recruit in the 2015 class, ranked 233rd overall and 25th nationally among cornerbacks according to 247Sports. He committed to play at the University of Tennessee on October 10, 2014. His early education included attending Westminster through middle school before transferring to Greater Atlanta Christian for his high school years. Notably, his grandfather is civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy.
College career
From 2015 to 2018, Abernathy played for Tennessee under head coaches Butch Jones and later Jeremy Pruitt. As a freshman, he participated in all 12 games primarily as a nickelback and kick returner. In his sophomore year, he transitioned to safety, starting in 10 contests while tying for the team lead with two interceptions and six passes defended; he also ranked second in tackles with 69 and led the team with three fumble recoveries. The following season, Abernathy started every game at safety (12 total), finishing third on the team with 81 tackles. His senior campaign featured eight starts at safety; however, he missed four games due to injury and did not record any interceptions that year.
Pre-draft
Prior to the draft, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein designated Abernathy as a "priority free agent," praising his physical attributes such as size, speed, and versatility across secondary positions while expressing reservations about his field awareness, instincts, and tackling proficiency.
Minnesota Vikings
Despite not being selected in the 2019 NFL draft, Abernathy signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent but was released on July 24, 2019.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Abernathy joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 11, 2019; however, he was waived shortly after on August 14.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts added Abernathy to their roster on August 26, 2019, only to release him five days later on August 31.
Dallas Renegades
In the 2020 season, Abernathy competed with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL.
Houston Gamblers
He signed with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL for their 2022 campaign.
Green Bay Packers
Following injuries to safeties Darnell Savage, Vernon Scott, and Dallin Leavitt, Abernathy was signed by the Green Bay Packers on August 10, 2022. He made a strong impression during his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints, recording an interception along with a tackle for loss. Abernathy secured a spot on the Packers’ initial 53-man roster as their fifth safety on August 30, 2022, but was released the following day and subsequently added to the practice squad on September 2. He was elevated to the active roster for week one where he made his NFL debut primarily contributing on special teams during a defeat against the Vikings. He received another gameday elevation on December 3, 2022.
Atlanta Falcons
Abernathy was acquired by the Atlanta Falcons from the Packers' practice squad on December 31, 2022. He was released on August 29, 2023, but subsequently rejoined the practice squad. On October 18, 2023, the Falcons elevated him to their active roster. Following a knee injury sustained during a matchup with the Carolina Panthers, Abernathy was placed on injured reserve on October 15, 2024.
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | ||
| 2022 | GB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
External links
- 1997 births
- Living people
- American football safeties
- Tennessee Volunteers football players
- Minnesota Vikings players
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
- Indianapolis Colts players
- Dallas Renegades players
- Houston Gamblers (2022) players
- Green Bay Packers players
- Atlanta Falcons players
- Players of American football from Atlanta
- Greater Atlanta Christian School alumni