Christian Izien

Christian Izien (born June 8, 2000) is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft.

Early years
Izien was born on June 8, 2000. He grew up in Far Rockaway, New York, and attended Erasmus Hall High School. A two-way player as a cornerback and wide receiver, he earned New York City Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Ranked a three-star recruit, he opted to be near home by committing to play college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

College career
As a true freshman at Rutgers in 2018, Izien appeared in four games as a special teams player. He played all 12 games as a sophomore, totaling a secondary-leading 78 tackles while starting seven times. He started all nine games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, leading the team with four interceptions while also having 66 tackles. Izien started all 13 games in 2021, being named honorable mention all-conference while having 75 tackles. He again started every game in 2022, finishing with 41 consecutive starts while having 80 tackles on the year, earning another honorable mention all-conference selection. Izien declared for the 2023 NFL draft and was invited to the Hula Bowl and East–West Shrine Bowl.

Professional career
After going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Izien was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. He impressed in the off-season and made the final roster, being named the starting nickelback as a rookie. He had interceptions in his first two games, becoming only the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 regular season games and made four starts. He finished with 65 total tackles (47 solo), two interceptions, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.