User:TWJohn/sandbox Lydell Sargeant

Lydell Ryan Sargeant (born January 31, 1987) is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League. He played college football at Penn State and was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Education
Sargeant was a highly rated high school recruit out of the state of California. A Pittsburgh native, Sargeant briefly attended Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvania until transferring to Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, California.

Sargeant was ranked #11 best athlete in the nation and one of the top players in the state of California. Sargeant was named All-CIF, First-team All-State Running Back and MVP of Los Padres League.

College
In 2005, Sargeant accepted an offer to play for Penn State over Stanford University and Oregon University.

Sargeant played college football at PSU as a cornerback, wide receiver, and punt returner.

In 2009, Sargeant received Second-team All-Big Ten as a cornerback for a Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions in interceptions and pass breakups. Sargeant went on to train with Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders in preparation for 2009 NFL Draft and Combine.

Sargeant received his bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2009. He later earned a master’s degree in Sport Management Studies in 2013.

Buffalo Bills
In 2009, Sargeant was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. In 2011, Sargeant retired from the NFL following a career ending knee injury.

College Administration
Following his NFL career, Sargeant began working in College Administration and is currently working as the Assistant Athletic Director at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

In 2018, Sargeant was selected to attend the NCAA Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute.  Recognized for his work in college athletic administration, Sargeant is the recipient of multiple National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics awards and initiatives.

Politics
In 2008, Sargeant introduced then U.S. Senator Barack Obama in front of a 22,000 assembled crowd at Penn State University for the 2008 Presidential Election. Sargeant was an influential member of Penn State Students for Barack Obama and also volunteered for him in the 2012 Presidential Election.

At Penn State, Sargeant helped create and run PSU Vote, a non-partisan student voter registration organization. PSU Vote initiatives resulted in record breaking student registration and voter turnout for the 2008 Presidential Election.