Aidan O'Connell
refer to caption
O'Connell with Purdue in 2022
No. 4 – Las Vegas Raiders
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-01) September 1, 1998
Long Grove, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Illinois)
College:Purdue (2017–2022)
NFL Draft:2023 / Round: 4 / Pick: 135
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2023
Passing attempts:343
Passing completions:213
Completion percentage:62.1%
TD–INT:12–7
Passing yards:2,218
Passer rating:83.9
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Aidan James O'Connell (born September 1, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue.

Early years

O'Connell was born in Long Grove, Illinois, on September 1, 1998.[1] O'Connell is the middle child of five brothers: Sean, Patrick, Liam, and Seamus and has one sister Grace.

O'Connell played high school football and basketball for Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.[2] He was not a highly recruited Illinois high school athlete, as his only scholarship offer came from Davenport University, a Division II school.[3] In 2016, his only season as a starter, he threw for a school record 2,741 yards and 26 touchdowns.[4][5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Aidan O'Connell
QB		 Lincolnshire, Illinois Stevenson (IL) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Feb 6, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: NR (IL)  ESPN: NR (national), NR (QB, pocket passer), NR (IL)
  • 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:

  • "Purdue Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  • "2017 Purdue Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.

College career

On February 3, 2017, O'Connell committed to play college football for Wheaton College,[6] but less than a month later, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue.[6][7]

After not playing in 2017 and 2018, he played in six games in 2019 and started three. He made his first career start against Northwestern, completing 34 of 50 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.[8] Overall that season, he completed 103 of 164 passes for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. O'Connell entered 2020 as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury after three games.[9] He completed 88 of 136 passes for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. O'Connell entered 2021 as the backup to Jack Plummer, but eventually took over as the starter and completed 315 of 440 passes for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He decided to enter the 2023 NFL Draft after the 2022 season.[10]

College statistics

Purdue Boilermakers
Season Games Passing Rushing
GPRecordCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2017 0—DNP
2018 0—
2019 61–210316462.81,1016.784130.415-9-0.60
2020 32–18813664.79166.772135.312-64-5.30
2021 127–331544071.63,7128.42811158.525-120-4.81
2022 127–532049964.13,4907.02213132.243-81-1.91
Career3317−118261,23966.79,2197.46530141.695-274-2.92

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 3+3⁄8 in
(1.91 m)		 213 lb
(97 kg)		 32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)
All values from the NFL Combine[11][12]

O'Connell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round with the 135th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.[13]

On October 1, 2023, O’Connell made his first career NFL start, filling in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Playing against the Los Angeles Chargers, he went 24-of-39 for 238 yards and had his first career rushing touchdown on a goal-line sneak. The Raiders lost 24–17 in his debut.[14] On November 1, 2023, O'Connell was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. [15] During the Week 16 Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, O'Connell went 9 of 21 in pass attempts for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter. Despite his team winning 20–14.[16]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ALngTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgLngTDSckSckYFumLost
2023LV 11105−521334362.12,2186.55012783.917110.6312417342
Career11105−521334362.12,2186.55012783.917110.6312417342

Personal life

O'Connell is married to Jael O'Connell.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Aidan O'Connell biography". purduesports.com. Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  2. ↑ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (October 6, 2016). "Daily Herald: Stevenson's 'O' vs. Lake Zurich's 'D'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Narang, Bobby (December 14, 2016). "Recruiting notes: Stevenson's Aidan O'Connell opts for college football". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ Reaven, Steve (March 6, 2017). "Purdue-bound QB Aidan O'Connell wraps up Stevenson athletic career". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (September 15, 2016). "Stevenson's O'Connell making the most of his chance". Football Focus. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Carmin, Mike (November 8, 2019). "Aidan O'Connell's journey ; Wheaton College commitment to Purdue's starting quarterback". Lafayette Journal & Courier. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Narang, Bob (December 9, 2021). "Aidan O'Connell had no Division I scholarship offers coming out of Stevenson. But in his first season starting for Purdue, he has become one of the nation's top QBs. Is the NFL next?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ Carmin, Mike (November 9, 2019). "Purdue, Aidan O'Connell produce more fourth-quarter magic at Northwestern". Journal and Courier. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (December 4, 2020). "Purdue's O'Connell to have surgery; season over". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ Fezler, D. J. (December 13, 2021). "Quarterback Aidan O'Connell Announces Decision to Return to Purdue Next Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Aidan O'Connell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Aidan O'Connell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ Edwards, Levi (April 29, 2023). "Raiders trade up to No. 135 to select QB Aidan O'Connell". Raiders.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Levi (October 1, 2023). "What did rookie Aidan O'Connell learn in his first NFL start?". Las Vegas Raiders. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Aidan O'Connell will replace Jimmy Garoppolo as Raiders starting QB". NBC Sports. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Raiders stun sloppy Chiefs with 2 defensive TDs in 20-14 victory on Christmas Day". Yahoo News. December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ Auerbach, Nicole (August 30, 2022). "Aidan O'Connell, Purdue's elder statesman QB, sets sights on a season for the ages". The Athletic. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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