After a standout career at Ole Miss, Jared Ivey is taking his talents to the next level. On Sunday, Ivey signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks after the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent three years at Ole Miss after starting his career at Georgia Tech, and he put together two strong years to end his time in college.
Ivey ended his time in Oxford on a high note, recording a career-high 7.0 sacks to go with 42 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. That came after a huge junior season in 2023 when he set a new career high with 46 total tackles and 12 tackles for loss while adding 5.5 sacks as a senior. He was a third team All-SEC selection one year after winning Peach Bowl Defensive MVP honors.
On the whole, during his college football career, Ivey recorded 165 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. Now, he’s taking the next step in his football journey as he heads to the NFL.
Ivey played high school football at Suwanne (Ga.) North Gwinnett, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 321 overall player from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Jared Ivey
When evaluating what Jared Ivey brings to the NFL, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said his skillset presents all-or-nothing results. Ivey has the physical traits to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, but is lacking the burst necessary to truly make his mark. That said, Zierlein said there are reasons for optimism about the role he can play in a defense during his career.
“Despite consecutive seasons of production in opponents’ backfields, Ivey’s strengths and weaknesses converge for a feast-or-famine playing style,” Zierlein wrote. “His rush is segmented and leggy with average short-area closing burst for an edge rusher. He lacks anchor and contact balance to command the point.
“On the other hand, Ivey is surprisingly slippery, using his stride, length and upper-body swivel to shapeshift and circumvent blocks. He needs to play with a little more edge but has enough disruption potential to become a rotational 4-3 defensive end with sub-rush potential inside.”
