PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Soul have been assigned First Team All-Arena defensive back, Rayshaun Kizer for the 2012 season.
Kizer looks to build off of a record-setting season where he set the league mark with 16 interceptions and has become one of the most dangerous defensive backs in the AFL.
“Turnovers are huge in this game and Rayshaun is a game changer that will help get us to the next level,” said Soul head coach Doug Plank. “He is a double threat by not just intercepting passes, but also returning them for touchdowns. He is a ball-hawking defensive back that has a knack for making the big play and making quarterbacks pay for their mistakes.”
Kizer is coming off two impressive seasons with the Orlando Predators (2010-11) receiving First Team All-Arena honors in both seasons. In two seasons with the Predators, Kizer played in 32 games, had 28 interceptions, 385 interception return yards, four touchdowns, and 37 pass break-ups.
He lead the AFL in interceptions in the 2010 season with 12, and set two new league records in 2011 with 16 interceptions and 237 interception return yards, while returning three of them for touchdowns. Kizer played in 18 games last season, leading the Predators in tackles (108.0) which ranked him No. 8 in the league. He took home Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 3 versus the Utah Blaze and again in Week 19 versus the Tulsa Talons.
The third-year AFL veteran also played for the Green Bay Blizzard (2009) in the af2. Playing in 17 games for the Blizzard, he recorded 65.0 tackles, four interceptions, 15 pass break-ups, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He was awarded Defensive Player of the Week in the American Conference Finals Game sealing the victory with a game-ending interception.
Kizer was also a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2011) and Montreal Alouettes (2008) of the Canadian Football League, and was a member of the New York Jets (2007) as an undrafted free agent playing in three of four preseason games for the team.
The former Cavalier was a three year starter at Walsh University (2003-06) and ranks No. 3 on Walsh’s all-time interceptions list with 14. Five of those 14 interceptions were returned for a touchdown, one of them breaking the school’s record for longest interception return for a touchdown, going for 104 yards.
He was named First Team All-American as well as First Team All-Conference during his senior season, leading the team with five interceptions, returning three for touchdowns. During Kizer’s junior season he was named to the Second Team All-Conference, while his sophomore season saw him earn First Team All-Conference honors intercepting six passes returning two for touchdowns.
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