Keith Ismael

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Keith Ismael
Keith Ismael WFT-Seahawks NOV2021 (cropped).jpg
Ismael with the Washington Football Team in 2021
Profile
Position Center
Personal information
Born (1998-07-25) July 25, 1998 (age 27)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight309 lb (140 kg)
Career information
High school Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco)
College San Diego State (2016–2019)
NFL draft 2020: 5th round, 156th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Games played31
Games started5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Keith Edward Ismael (born July 25, 1998) is an American professional football center. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the team then known as the Washington Redskins. [1] He last played for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

Contents

Early life

Ismael was born on July 25, 1998, in San Francisco, California, into a family of football players. [1] [2] His father, George Ismael, was a center for the Florida A&M Rattlers; his uncle, Tavita Pritchard, was a quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal and is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders; and his other uncle, Wilson Faumuina, played five seasons in the NFL. [3]

Growing up, he played baseball, basketball, soccer, and also swam. It wasn’t until seventh grade that his father allowed him to play football, wanting to ensure that he understood the sport, recognized the dedication required to succeed, and had a genuine passion for it. [3]

He attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, California, where he played football and lacrosse. [4]

College career

A two-star recruit, Ismael committed to San Diego State over offers from Air Force, Army, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Hawaiʻi, Montana, San Jose State, UC Davis, and Utah State. [2] Ismael was a three-year starter at San Diego State. He was named second-team All-Mountain West Conference as a freshman and to the first-team as a sophomore and as a junior. Following the 2019 season, he announced he would be forgoing his senior season by entering the 2020 NFL draft. [5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		309 lb
(140 kg)		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		10 in
(0.25 m)		5.34 s1.79 s3.01 s4.65 s8.14 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)		9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)
All values from NFL Combine [6] [7]

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Ismael was selected by the Washington Football Team in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, in which they took Ismael with one of the two picks they acquired in a trade that sent Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers. [8] He signed his four-year rookie contract on July 22, 2020. [9] Ismael was released on August 31, 2021, [10] and re-signed to the practice squad the following day. [11] He was promoted to the active roster on November 4. [12] In the Week 12 win against the Seattle Seahawks, Ismael took over at center after starter Wes Schweitzer left the game after suffering an ankle injury. [13] The following week, Ismael made his first career start against the Las Vegas Raiders which made him the fourth starting center for the team in the 2021 season. [14]

On March 16, 2022, the team placed an exclusive-rights free agent tender on Ismael, [15] which he signed on April 20. [16] He was placed on injured reserve as part of finalizing the 53-man roster, but released with an injury settlement on September 5, 2022. [17] [18]

San Francisco 49ers

On September 13, 2022, Ismael signed with the practice squad of the San Francisco 49ers. [19] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 31, 2023. [20]

On August 29, 2023, Ismael was waived by the 49ers. [21]

Arizona Cardinals

On August 30, 2023, Ismael was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals. [22] He played in 13 games for the Cardinals in 2023.

Ismael was waived by the Cardinals on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad. [23] [24] He was released by Arizona on December 10. [25]

Personal life

Ismael is of African American, Filipino, Samoan, and Native American descent. [26] [27]

References

  1. 1 2 Stackpole, Kyle (April 25, 2020). "Redskins Draft Center Keith Ismael With Fifth-Round Pick". Washington Commanders. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Keith Ismael - 2016 Football Roster". San Diego State Aztecs. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Kenney, Kirk (April 25, 2020). "Aztecs center Keith Ismael selected by Washington in NFL Draft". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ Miller, Bryce (August 4, 2019). "Baking, lacrosse-playing center Keith Ismael key for Aztecs football in 2019". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Aztecs center Keith Ismael declares early for 2020 NFL Draft". San Diego Union-Tribune. December 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Keith Ismael Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  7. ↑ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Keith Ismael College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Redskins' Keith Ismael: Heading to Washington". CBS Sports. Rotowire. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ Fortier, Sam; Jhabvala, Nicki (July 23, 2020). "No. 2 overall pick Chase Young signs with Washington". Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  10. ↑ Washington Football Team Public Relations (August 31, 2021). "Washington Makes Multiple Roster Moves". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  11. ↑ Washington Football Team Public Relations. "Washington Signs 15 Players To Practice Squad". WashingtonFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Washington Roster Moves: Keith Ismael signed from the practice squad". Hogs Haven. SB Nation. November 4, 2021.
  13. ↑ Selby, Zach (December 1, 2021). "From practice squad to primetime, Keith Ismael has embraced his opportunities". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  14. ↑ Keim, John (December 5, 2021). "Washington's Logan Thomas feared to have suffered torn ACL, MCL in win over Las Vegas Raiders, source says". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  15. ↑ Selby, Zach. "Commanders tender 4 players, release S Landon Collins". Commanders.com. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ↑ Alper, Josh (April 20, 2022). "Commanders re-sign Keith Ismael". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ Washington Commanders Public Relations. "Commanders cut 25 players, place 3 on IR". Commanders.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  18. ↑ RotoWire Staff (September 5, 2022). "Keith Ismael: Let go with injury settlement". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Elijah Mitchell Placed on Injured Reserve and Other Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  20. ↑ "49ers Sign 10 Players to Reserve/Future Contracts". 49ers.com. January 31, 2023. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ "49ers Announce Moves for Initial 53-Man Roster". 49ers.com. August 29, 2023.
  22. ↑ Posey, Kyle (August 30, 2023). "Ilm Manning claimed by the Cardinals; D'Shawn Jamison to the Panthers". Niners Nation. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  23. ↑ Urban, Darren (August 27, 2024). "Cardinals Trim Roster To Get To 53 For Regular Season". AZCardinals.com.
  24. ↑ Urban, Darren (August 28, 2024). "Cardinals Announce Initial Practice Squad For 2024". AZCardinals.com.
  25. ↑ "NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/24". profootballrumors.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  26. ↑ Keim, John (August 1, 2020). "Inside rookie's 2,380-mile journey east to Washington's training camp". ESPN. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  27. ↑ Jeannel, Briana (May 25, 2023). "Talanoa Hufanga, Keith Ismael Highlight Importance of AAPI Representation in NFL". San Francisco 49ers. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
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