Madre London
Personal information
Born: (1996-01-27) January 27, 1996 (age 28)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Thomas Aquinas
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
College:Michigan State (2014–2017)
Tennessee (2018)
Position:Running back
Undrafted:2019
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • ELF Most Valuable Player (2021)
  • ELF All-Star (2021)
  • ELF rushing yards leader (2021)
  • ELF rushing touchdowns leader (2021)
  • AFI All-Europe First Team (2021)

Madre London (born January 27, 1996) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan State and Tennessee.

High school career

London originally attended Bryant High School in Bryant, Arkansas, a suburb of Little Rock. He led the Hornets to a conference title while rushing for 969 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman.[1][2]

London transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for his final two years.[3] As a senior he rushed for 871 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning Sun-Sentinel second-team all-Broward County honors and an invitation to the 2014 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.[4]

Recruiting

London was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals,[5] and a three-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN.[6][7] Rivals also ranked him as the 17th best running back in the nation.[5] He received over two dozen offers, ultimately committing to Michigan State in November 2013.[8]

College career

Michigan State

London played for the Michigan State Spartans from 2014 to 2017, rushing for 924 yards and eight touchdowns while serving a complimentary role behind LJ Scott.[9] He redshirted the 2014 season as the backfield included seniors Jeremy Langford and Nick Hill.[9]

In 2015, London recorded 119 carries for 500 yards and three touchdowns, ranking third on the team in both categories.[4] After impressing in the preseason scrimmages, he was moved to the top of the depth chart by coach Mark Dantonio.[10] London ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate debut against Western Michigan.[11] The following week, he rushed for a game-high 103 yards on 18 attempts in a 31–28 win over #7 Oregon, including a career-long 62-yard run on their opening drive.[12] London started the first six games before spraining his ankle against Rutgers, forcing him to miss the next three games.[13] He rushed for just 101 yards for the remainder of the reason,[13] but that did include a 60-yard-performance against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game.[14]

In 2016, London played offensive snaps in just seven games, with sophomore LJ Scott and junior Gerald Holmes taking most of the load at running back.[9] London recorded 28 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns in his limited role.[9] In his best game that season, he ran for 52 yards and two touchdowns against Rutgers.[15] The Spartans won just three games.[16]

In 2017, London had 83 carries for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for 127 yards in the spring game, eclipsing his previous season's total yardage.[17] In the season opener against Bowling Green, he had 10 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.[18] He ran for 59 yards and caught a touchdown at #7 Michigan,[19] then rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown the following week at Minnesota.[20] The Spartans beat Washington State 42–17 in the Holiday Bowl to finish with a 10–3 record.[21][22]

Tennessee

After graduating from Michigan State with his sociology degree in May 2018, London joined Tennessee as a graduate transfer.[23][24] He was recruited in part by then-offensive quality control assistant Montario Hardesty, himself a former Tennessee and Cleveland Browns running back.[3] In his lone season with the Volunteers, London recorded 206 yards and three touchdowns on 42 attempts, averaging a career-best 4.9 yards per carry, under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.[25][26]

London contributed two touchdowns in their 59–3 blowout of East Tennessee State,[27] then ran for a season-high 74 yards on just nine carries the following week against UTEP.[28] In their SEC opener against Florida, he had 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.[29] However, London's role decreased drastically after that, recording just nine carries over the last eight games.[30] He was selected to play in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl at the conclusion of the season.[30]

Collegiate statistics

Rushing Receiving
Year Team GP Att Yards Avg TDs Rec Yards Avg TDs
2014 Michigan State – – – – – – – – –
2015 Michigan State 11 119 500 4.2 3 3 23 7.7 0
2016 Michigan State 7 28 120 4.3 2 1 15 15.0 0
2017 Michigan State 12 83 304 3.7 3 9 62 6.9 1
2018 Tennessee 10 42 206 4.9 3 2 5 2.5 0
Career 40 272 1,130 4.2 11 15 105 7.0 1


Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		215 lb
(98 kg) 		31+7⁄8 in
(0.81 m) 		10+3⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.62 s 1.63 s 2.69 s 4.58 s 7.19 s 31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 10 ft 01 in
(3.07 m)		 19 reps
All values from Pro Day[31]

The Spring League

After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, London signed with the Alphas of The Spring League on October 17, 2020.[32][33] He rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries in their week two victory over the Conquerors,[34] but that would be his final game with the team as their next game was forfeited and the remainder of the 2020 Fall season was cancelled amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[35][36]

FCF

London then joined the inaugural 2021 Fan Controlled Football season, a new league run by fan decisions where players are drafted to new teams every week.[37] He had 13 carries for 41 yards and three receptions for 23 yards in the four-game season.[38]

Cologne Centurions

London signed with the Cologne Centurions of the newly formed European League of Football (ELF) ahead of the 2021 season.[39] In his league debut, he rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns as the Centurions lost 55–39 to the Panthers Wrocław.[40] He was then named the week two MVP after rushing for 352 yards and four touchdowns in their home opener against the Barcelona Dragons, which they won 40–12.[41] In their week three victory over the Leipzig Kings, London recorded 348 yards and four touchdowns.[42] He only ran for 85 yards in the next game against the Frankfurt Galaxy, but surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season in just four games.[43] In week 7, London once again earned weekly MVP honors for recording 320 yards and four touchdowns in their win against Wrocław.[44] He added 290 yards and four more touchdowns on the ground the following week against Barcelona.[45] After the Centurions' bye week, London earned his third weekly MVP award by recording 138 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in their 19–9 home win against Stuttgart. He passed the 2,000-yard milestone in the game, giving his team a 5–4 record and securing a playoff berth.[46] London was rested, along with some other starters, in the regular season finale.[47] In nine regular-season games, he had 269 carries for 2,009 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the league in all three categories.[48] The Centurions lost 36–6 to the Frankfurt Galaxy in their first playoff game, with London contributing 168 yards and a touchdown.[49] He was one of the four Americans selected to the All-Star team,[50] and was subsequently named the league's Most Valuable Player.[51] London would later be named to American Football International's 2021 All-Europe first team as a top running back in Europe.[52]

Pittsburgh Maulers

In September 2021, London re-signed with the Centurions for the 2022 season.[53] However, in April 2022, he joined the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League just a few weeks ahead of the league's inaugural season.[54] He was signed by the Maulers as a last-minute replacement for De'Veon Smith.[55] London led the Maulers in rushing yards for the 2022 season.

London re-signed with the Maulers on August 8, 2023.[56] The Maulers folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[57]

Statistics

Spring leagues statistics
Year Team League Games Rushing Receiving
GP Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2021 CCE ELF 9 269 2009 7.5 22 11 71 6.5 1
2022 PIT USFL 10 96 415 4.3 1 8 34 4.3 0

References

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  2. ^ Yates, Robert (August 7, 2011). "Hornets adjusting to personnel". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cobb, David (August 17, 2018). "Vols' Madre London brings experience at running back". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Madre London". Michigan State Athletics. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Madre London". Rivals. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Madre London". 247Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
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  53. ^ Malchow, Alex (September 22, 2021). "ELF's top RB, Madre London, re-signs with Cologne Centurions". American Football International. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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