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Troy Apke

Troy Steven Apke (born April 11, 1995) is an American former professional football safety and cornerback. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers player Steve Apke.

Troy Apke
refer to caption
Apke with the Washington Football Team in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1995-04-11) April 11, 1995 (age 29)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Mt. Lebanon (Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania)
College:Penn State (2014–2017)
Position:
NFL draft:2018 / round: 4 / pick: 109
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:69
Pass deflections:4
Interceptions:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Apke was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to former Pittsburgh Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Steve Apke. His mother also ran track and field for Pittsburgh.[2] He grew up in nearby Mt. Lebanon Township and attended Mt. Lebanon High School, where he participated in football, basketball, and track and field. Apke advanced to the PIAA state track and field championships his junior and senior years. He was also the WPIAL Champion in the 100 meters in 2014, recording a time of 10.81 seconds. He was a three-year starter for the football team playing wide receiver and safety. During his junior and senior seasons Apke had 1,776 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns and on defense, 68 tackles with 3 interceptions. A 3-star recruit, Apke committed to Penn State.[3]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Troy Apke
WR 		Pittsburgh Mt. Lebanon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 13, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars    247Sports:3/5 stars     ESPN:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

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During his freshman season at Penn State, Apke played four games on special teams, totaling two tackles. In his sophomore year, he played in all 13 games, starting one. He finished the season with 26 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one pass deflection. During his junior season, Apke played in all 14 games starting one again. On October 1, he recorded a career high six tackles and one pass deflection in a win over Minnesota.

Prior to his senior season Apke was named a starter at safety by head coach James Franklin. In the season opener against Akron Zips, Apke had four tackles and was one of eight players to be a part of three-straight seasons with a shutout on the Nittany Lions roster. Also, he was one of three who played in all three of those games. Apke graduated with a degree in Criminology. Prior to playing in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, he was one of twenty on the roster who graduated before the Bowl game.[4]

Apke was selected to participate in the January 2018 edition of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, where he was named game MVP[5] after a team-high seven tackles, a forced fumble and a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.[6]

College statistics

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Season G Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Solo Asst. Tot. Sacks TFL FF FR Int. Yds. Avg. TD Def.
2014 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 13 14 12 26 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
2016 14 11 17 28 0 1 0 1 1 10 10 0 1
2017 13 36 19 55 1 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 5
Total 44 63 48 111 1 3 1 1 2 11 5.5 0 7

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄4 in
(1.86 m) 		200 lb
(91 kg) 		32+3⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		8+3⁄8 in
(0.21 m)		 4.34 s 1.48 s 2.52 s 4.03 s 6.56 s 41training camp 10 ft 11 in
(3.33 m)		 16 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]
 
Apke in a game against the New England Patriots in 2019

Apke attended the NFL Combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds.[8] In the 2018 NFL draft, he was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round, 109th overall.[9] Apke made his NFL debut in the Redskins season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, where he made a touchdown-saving tackle on a punt return, but was injured on the play. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve a month later.[10]

Coming into the 2019 season Apke was expected to be a contributor on special teams. Through the first six weeks Apke had three tackles. In week 7 versus the San Francisco 49ers, Apke saw significant action on defense after an injury to starting safety Montae Nicholson. Apke had an interception, the first of his career, as well as a pass deflection and 6 tackles in just under a half of action in a 9–0 loss.[11]

In 2020, Apke was named the starting free safety after beating out Sean Davis during training camp.[12] Due to poor performance to start the season, he lost his starting position after Week 5.[13] He converted to cornerback in 2021, making him the first white NFL player at the position since Dustin Fox in 2008.[14]

Apke re-signed with the team on March 17, 2022.[15] He was released on August 16, 2022,[16] but re-signed to their practice squad on August 31.[17] He was released again on October 5, 2022, but re-signed back to the practice squad on October 21.[18][19] Apke was released again on November 26, 2022.[20] On December 30, he was re-signed to the practice squad.[21] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[22] The Commanders placed Apke on injured reserve on August 8, 2023.[23] He was released on November 20.

References

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  1. ^ "Former Penn State S Troy Apke won the MVP award at this year's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". Land Of 10. January 20, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  2. ^ "Seven Things We've Learned About Troy Apke". Commanders.com. July 16, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Troy Apke, 2014 Wide Receiver - Rivals.com". N.rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "Penn State safety Troy Apke couldn't have envisioned this ending back in high school". TribLive.com. December 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "About the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". nflpa.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  6. ^ "Former Penn State safety Troy Apke stars in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, named MVP". Centre Daily Times. January 20, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  7. ^ "Troy Apke Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Eight Lions receive invites to NFL combine". 247sports. February 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Czarda, Stephen (April 28, 2018). "Redskins Select Safety Troy Apke". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Redskins Place Troy Apke On Injured Reserve". Redskins.com. October 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Troy Apple picks off Jimmy Garoppolo for first career interception". NBC Sports. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  12. ^ Camenker, Jacob (September 5, 2020). "Washington Football Team: Sean Davis' release shows confidence in Troy Apke". Riggo's Rag. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Neel, Zachary (October 18, 2020). "Report: Deshazor Everett to start at free safety over Troy Apke". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  14. ^ McDonald, Scott (September 5, 2021). "Troy Apke Brings End to Bizarre 19-Year Absence of White Players at One NFL Position". Newsweek.com. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Washington Commanders Public Relations (March 17, 2022). "Commanders re-sign multiple players". Commanders.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Alper, Josh. "Commanders release Troy Apke". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  17. ^ Washington Commanders Public Relations. "Commanders announce practice squad". Commanders.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Brener, Jeremy. "Commanders BREAKING: Rookie RB Brian Robinson Jr. Among 3 Roster Moves". SI.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  19. ^ "Commanders place Tariq Castro-Fields on IR, sign Khaleke Hudson to active roster". Commanders.com. October 21, 2022.
  20. ^ Selby, Zach. "Commanders elevate Alex Erickson from practice squad amid multiple roster moves". Commanders.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  21. ^ Washington Commanders Public Relations (December 30, 2022). "Commanders place Jon Bostic on IR, sign De'Jon Harris to active roster". Commanders.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  22. ^ Washington Commanders Public Relations (January 9, 2023). "Commanders sign 9 players to Reserve/Future contracts". Commanders.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Selby, Zach (August 8, 2023). "Commanders sign S Joshua Kalu, P Colby Wadman". Commanders.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
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