Monday, December 26, 2011

DB Rayshaun Kizer

After a very nice 2011 edition of Christmas I'm happy to say that I'm back to my postings. Today I'm focusing on another off-season addition made last month. The Soul were assigned DB Rayshaun Kizer who just came off his best season last year with the Orlando Predators.

Kizer (a 2010 and 2011 First Team All-Arena Defensive Back with the Predators) set the league record for interceptions (which was at 13 by multiple players) with 16 INTs and interception return yards (237) this past season. He returned 3 of those interceptions for touchdowns which adds onto his already impressive resume of play-making ability. Kizer recorded 108 tackles which led the team and ranked him 8th in the league for that category. Kizer also ranked 7th in the AFL with 1.67 pass defenses per game. He started every game for the Predators last season and delivered heavily. 

The arena football standout was a 3-year starter at Walsh University from 2003-2006 where he ranks 3rd on their all-time interceptions list with 14. Kizer returned 5 of those for touchdowns the best being a 104-yard return which broke the school record for longest interception return.

In 2007 Kizer signed on with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. He played in 3 of the 4 preseason games before being cut from the team.

Kizer signed on with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2008 where he recorded 35 tackles in 10 games. Remember now, FB Derrick Ross was part of the Alouettes practice squad in 2008 so there's another kind of connection between teammates.

The former Predator first entered arena football with the Green Bay Blizzard of the AF2 in 2009. Kizer record 65 tackles, 4 interceptions, 15 pass break-ups, 1 fumble recovery and 2 forced fumbles in 17 games. It was Kizer's game ending interception in the 2009 playoffs that sent the Blizzard to the American Conference Finals to face my Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (who defeated the Blizzard). That interception awarded him the AF2's defensive player of the week honors and preserved the 51-46 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers. 

Kizer moved to the newly reformed AFL in 2010 where he set an AFL rookie record with 12 interceptions and 148 interception return yards. He also led the league as a rookie with his 12 interceptions. He played 2011 with the Predators again as stated above.

Kizer also spent some time with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats before being assigned to the Soul.

Kizer adds another piece to the Soul's puzzle in their search for another ArenaBowl championship. In his two years with the Predators Kizer accumulated 28 interceptions, 385 interception return yards, 4 touchdowns and 37 pass break-ups in 32 games. Another productive player added to an already impressive looking unit. The Soul will have plenty of talent going into 2012 which gives them little to no excuses if things don't pan out well like last season. Again, it all rests upon the shoulders of Plank getting the most out of each and every player. If that happens then there's no reason why the Soul can't reach ArenaBowl XXV and Kizer will add onto a defensive unit that was already pretty good to begin with.




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