Shawn Oakman

American gridiron football player (born 1992)
American football player
Undrafted:2016Career history
  • Triangle Torch (2018)*
  • Bismarck Bucks (2018)
  • West Virginia Roughriders (2019)
  • Los Angeles Wildcats (2020)
  • FCF Wild Aces (2021)
  • Toronto Argonauts (2021–present)
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only Roster status:ActiveCFL status:AmericanCareer highlights and awards
  • Grey Cup champion (2022)
  • CFL All-Star (2021)
  • 2× CFL East All-Star (2021, 2022)
Career CFL statistics
Tackles:76
Sacks:12
Forced fumbles:1
Interceptions:0
Player stats at CFL.ca

Shawn Michael Oakman (born April 7, 1992) is an American football defensive end for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears. Oakman has been a member of the Triangle Torch and the West Virginia Roughriders of the American Arena League (AAL), the Bismarck Bucks of Champions Indoor Football (CIF), and the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL.

Early years

Oakman attended Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. He played both football and basketball. He committed to play college football at Penn State University in July 2010.[1][2]

College career

Penn State University

Oakman was redshirted as a true freshman at PSU in 2011.[3]

On February 27, 2012, Penn State announced that Oakman had been dismissed from the Nittany Lions football team for an unspecified violation of team rules.[3] (See Personal life.)

Oakman transferred to Baylor University in July 2012.[4]

Baylor University

As per NCAA transfer rules, Oakman took the entire 2012 season off. Oakman played in 13 games as a backup defensive end in 2013. He recorded 33 tackles and two sacks. In his first year as a starter, Oakman had a breakout season in 2014. He finished the season with 25.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks. He earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and was a consensus All-Big 12 selection.[5][6] Oakman was projected by some analysts and scouts to be a first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.[7][8] Instead of declaring for the draft, he decided to return to Baylor for his senior season.[9] In 2015, Oakman was not able to match his successful 2014 season. He recorded only 4.5 sacks in 2015.[10]

Professional career

Several early mock drafts projected Oakman to be a first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.[11] Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated penciled in Oakman as the first overall pick in his "2016 NFL Mock Draft 1.0," which was published a few days after the conclusion of the 2015 NFL Draft.[12] Oakman's production dropped in 2015 and his draft stock fell throughout the season.[13][14] One AFC area scout commented that he would not select Oakman in the first three rounds of the draft. Some of the concerns about Oakman were his skinny lower body, lack of pass-rush technique, and "inconsistent motor chasing plays and inability to make plays against better competition".[15][16]

Sexual assault case

After Oakman's arrest on a sexual assault charge, which occurred only two weeks before the 2016 NFL Draft, an NFC executive told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that Oakman was "undraftable now" because the case is unlikely to be resolved before the start of the draft. Zierlein believed the arrest would likely result in Oakman being removed from all NFL team boards.[17] Oakman went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft. After the draft, he wasn't expected to get signed as an undrafted free agent due to the legal issues he was facing at the time. He was subsequently found not guilty of the alleged sexual assault.[18][19]

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 7+58 in
(2.02 m)
287 lb
(130 kg)
35+34 in
(0.91 m)
10+58 in
(0.27 m)
4.84 s 1.66 s 2.67 s 4.56 s 7.53 s 32 in
(0.81 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[20][21]

Triangle Torch

In November 2017, Oakman signed with the Triangle Torch of the American Arena League.[22] He helped lead the Triangle Torch to the AIF Championship but lost a close game to Cape Fear Heroes.

Bismarck Bucks

On March 8, 2018 Oakman signed with the Bismarck Bucks of Champions Indoor Football.[23]

Austin Generals

On April 6, 2019, Oakman signed with The Spring League and was assigned to the Austin Generals.[24] He helped lead the Austin Generals to win the 2019 TSL reagular season title.

West Virginia Roughriders

In June 2019, Shawn Oakman signed with the West Virginia Roughriders of the American Arena League.

Los Angeles Wildcats

On October 16, 2019, Oakman was drafted to the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL.[25] He was waived on December 17, 2019.[26] The Wildcats re-signed Oakman on January 24, 2020.[27] In his debut game, Oakman had a sack and a pass deflected. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[28]

Toronto Argonauts

On February 15, 2021, Oakman signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[29]

Fan Controlled Football

Oakman also played in Fan Controlled Football as a late addition to the roster in March 2021, appearing in the People's Championship with Wild Aces and won the championship.[30]

Personal life

On February 25, 2012, Oakman was involved in an incident at a Penn State dining hall, and was eventually charged by PSU police with disorderly conduct, harassment, and retail theft.[31] According to police, Oakman fled the scene after shoving a cashier who refused to return his student ID over unpaid items.[31] In a later interview, Oakman stated that the cashier withheld his ID after she found that there were no points on his meal card and that he had only grabbed her wrist to retrieve it and return to his dorm room.[4] According to Oakman, this incident led to his dismissal from the Penn State football team by then head coach Bill O'Brien.[4]

Oakman was named in a January 2013 Waco police incident report alleging he physically assaulted a woman. According to the report, Oakman grabbed the alleged victim under her armpits and shoved her into brick walls and cabinets at her South Waco apartment. The alleged incident was about six months after Oakman enrolled at Baylor after being kicked off the football team at Penn State University for physically assaulting a female cashier who reportedly tried to stop him from stealing food from a campus store.[32][33]

On April 13, 2016, Oakman was arrested in Waco and charged after a woman accused him of sexual assault. According to a police affidavit, Oakman met the accuser at a bar and asked if she wanted to go to his off-campus residence. They walked to Oakman's duplex where, according to the woman, he forced her into a bedroom, forcibly removed her clothes, forced her onto the bed, and sexually assaulted her.[34] On July 20, 2016, a grand jury in McLennan County indicted Oakman on charges of second-degree felony sexual assault.[35] The trial of the case began February 26, 2019. On February 28, 2019, after the jury deliberated for 45 minutes, Oakman was found not guilty of sexual assault.[36]

In popular culture

At the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 2015, a picture of Oakman on the jumbotron at AT&T Stadium went viral across social media, including social media site Twitter. The image became "an internet sensation" overnight because of his intimidating build, with Oakman standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m).[37][38]

References

  1. ^ Penn Wood DE Oakman commits to Penn State
  2. ^ Penn Wood DE Shawn Oakman verbally commits to Penn State
  3. ^ a b McIntyre, Joe (February 28, 2012). "Penn Wood's Oakman dismissed from football team". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Santoliquito, Joseph (July 2, 2012). "Life After Penn State For Shawn Oakman". 3 CBS Philly. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Jeyarajah, Shehan (July 15, 2015). "Baylor lands seven on Preseason All-Big 12 team, Shawn Oakman wins Defensive Player of the Year". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "Drango, Oakman Garner Associated Press All-America Honors". BaylorBears.com. December 16, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Zucker, Joseph (December 29, 2014). "Shawn Oakman Announces Return to Baylor: Latest Details and Reaction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  8. ^ Goodbread, Chase (September 26, 2014). "Scout projects Baylor's Shawn Oakman as first-rounder". NFL.com. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  9. ^ McGuire, Kevin (December 29, 2014). "Baylor's Shawn Oakman puts NFL on hold, will return in 2015". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Dunne, Tyler (January 27, 2016). "Baylor's mighty Oakman may intrigue Bills". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Halliburton, Suzanne (May 4, 2015). "All eyes on Baylor's Shawn Oakman for 2016 draft". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Burke, Chris (May 5, 2015). "2016 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Shawn Oakman goes No. 1 to Titans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  13. ^ Rang, Rob (April 14, 2016). "2016 NFL Draft: Oakman may go undrafted after sexual assault arrest". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  14. ^ Reuter, Chad (April 18, 2016). "Prospects likely to slip in 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  15. ^ Davis, Charles; Zierlein, Lance (November 24, 2015). "Scout: I wouldn't draft Shawn Oakman in first three rounds". NFL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  16. ^ Reuter, Chad (February 10, 2016). "Biggest boom-or-bust prospects in 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  17. ^ Goodbread, Chase (April 13, 2016). "Baylor's Oakman 'undraftable now' after sexual assault charge". NFL.com. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  18. ^ Fucillo, David (April 30, 2016). "Undrafted free agent tracker: Best players available after the 2016 NFL Draft". Niners Nation. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  19. ^ Biggs, Brad (May 4, 2016). "Could Bears have interest in undrafted Shawn Oakman?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Shawn Oakman". National Football League. Archived from the original on 2018-12-31.
  21. ^ "Shawn Oakman, Baylor, DE, 2016 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  22. ^ "Transactions". americanarenaleague.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ^ "Ex-BU player indicted for sexual assault joins indoor team in N. Dakota". kwtx.com. March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  24. ^ Halliburton, Suzanne (April 6, 2019). "Ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman tries to revive career in Spring League". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  25. ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  26. ^ "WILDCATS ANNOUNCE MINICAMP TRANSACTIONS". XFL.com. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  27. ^ "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  28. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  29. ^ "ARGOS ADD SIX AMERICANS". Toronto Argonauts. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  30. ^ Shawn Oakman expected to join Fan Controlled Football
  31. ^ a b "Penn State Football: Shawn Oakman Faces Charges in Pollock Commons Incident". StateCollege.com. State College, Pennsylvania. March 23, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  32. ^ "Oakman named in 2013 incident report alleging assault". 25 April 2016.
  33. ^ "Shawn Oakman 2013 Incident Report Page 3".
  34. ^ Witherspoon, Tommy (April 13, 2016). "Waco police arrest former Baylor football player Oakman on sexual assault charge". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  35. ^ Schlabach, Mark (July 20, 2016). "Ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman indicted for sexual assault". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  36. ^ "Former BU football player Oakman declared not guilty of sexual assault". Waco Tribune-Herald. February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  37. ^ "Monster Baylor DE an Internet sensation after Cotton Bowl". Fox Sports Southwest. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  38. ^ DeGeorge, Matthew (2 January 2015). "Punch Shots: Penn Wood's Oakman scares up Internet sensation". The Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved 18 January 2015.

External links

  • Toronto Argonauts bio
  • Baylor Bears bio
  • Penn State Nittany Lions bio
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