Ferris State Alum Zach Sieler Earns NFL Contract Extension With Miami Dolphins

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University football alum Zach Sieler (Pinckney) was signed to a contract extension through the 2023 season on Monday (Nov. 16) by the National Football League's (NFL) Miami Dolphins.

This season, the standout defensive lineman has played in all nine games with three starts for the Dolphins. Overall, he's totaled 26 tackles (13 solo) with four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. He's played nearly half of all the defensive snaps and was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

Originally, Sieler joined the Dolphins on Dec. 5, 2019 when he was awarded off waivers to the team. He also spent two seasons (2018-19) in Baltimore and originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick (238th overall) by Baltimore in the 2018 NFL draft, becoming the first Ferris State product to ever be drafted.

The Dolphins defense has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season and has played at a very high level recently with Sieler being a big part of the turnaround.

"The organization is great from the top down," Sieler said. "To grow here and continue with this culture we're starting to build, I'm very happy to be a part of that."

Presently, Sieler is one of five Ferris State alums on NFL active or practice rosters this fall, which is the most of any NCAA Division II school in the country. Overall, eight different Bulldog products have played in a NFL regular-season game over the past four seasons, topping many NCAA Division I institutions.

Sieler graduated from FSU in December 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering technology and elected to forgo his final collegiate season to enter the draft after leading FSU to back-to-back NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal appearances in his collegiate career.

Sieler was a consensus All-America choice each of his final two seasons and twice received the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Defensive Lineman of the Year honor along with being chosen in both 2016 and 2017 as the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Super Region Defensive Player of the Year. He began his FSU career as a walk-on before becoming one of the nation's top defensive linemen over his final two seasons.

In his final year, Sieler led the Bulldogs with 21 tackles for loss (-74 yards) and seven quarterback sacks (-46 yards) despite consistently drawing multiple blockers while ranking third in total tackles (79) in addition to forcing two fumbles, recovering two fumbles, breaking up two passes and blocking a kick. Along with being a consensus first team All-American, he was also chosen as a national finalist for the Cliff Harris National Small College Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second consecutive year. Sieler was also a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree.

As a sophomore in 2016, Sieler set new school records with 29.5 tackles for loss (-164 yards) and 19.5 sacks (-138 yards) while helping FSU to the school's second-ever NCAA Division II National Semifinal appearance. He ranked among the nation's top five players in both categories and led the GLIAC while also ranking as FSU's third-leading tackler with a personal career-high 80 stops, including 37 solo hits. Sieler added a team-high five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a blocked kick and a pass breakup while starting all 15 games in 2016.

In 2016, Sieler was tabbed as the Football Gazette National Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning his first of two mentions as the region's top defensive player. In each of his final two seasons, he garnered consensus All-America recognition from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), D2Football.com, Football Gazette, Associated Press and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association among other sources.

The three-year letterwinner, who initially redshirted as a freshman in 2013 before sitting out in 2014 and then playing in 11 games as a reserve in 2015, closed his FSU career with 176 total tackles in 39 games with 33 sacks for minus 219 yards along with 58 tackles for loss resulting in 274 lost yards. He matched former Bulldog standout Jim Lenz (1990-93) as the school's all-time sack leader and broke former standout Ed Philion's school career record with his 58 tackles for loss. His younger brother, Adam, is currently an offensive lineman in the Bulldog program.

Sieler's play and leadership helped FSU finish the 2017 season with an 11-2 overall record. FSU's 11 wins marked the fourth consecutive year in which the Bulldogs had achieved the feat, which represented the first time in school history in which FSU had done so over four-straight years. Over the four plus seasons at FSU during Sieler's career, the Bulldogs recorded a 45-7 overall record and also won a pair of conference championships.