A legendary Auburn Tiger appears to have some time on Lake Martin in his future, as on Monday, C.J. Uzomah officially announced his retirement from football after signing a one-day deal that allowed him to retire as a Cincinnati Bengal.

“History has a way of repeating itself and there’s no place I’d want to formally announce my retirement, than the place that started it all for me and gave me my chance,” Uzomah said in an X post. “The place I will always think of as my second home and will always hold a special place in me and my family’s heart. The place where we won a playoff game for the first time since before I was born, and went on an odds defying run to the Super Bowl. A place I’ve met people who have become like brothers to me.”

Uzomah was a crucial part of Auburn’s National Championship run in 2013, but he served as a tight end for the Tigers for much longer than that. In fact, Uzomah played with the Tigers for all four years of his collegiate career, which spanned from the 2011 season to the 2014 season.

In total, as a Tiger, Uzomah accounted for 435 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns over the course of 29 career receptions, though he did, notably, complete a touchdown pass to fellow tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen during a matchup against Georgia in his freshman year. 

In his senior season, in 2014, Uzomah was voted as an All-SEC second-teamer after Auburn’s 2013 National Championship run put him in the national spotlight, and he represented Auburn at SEC Media Days that year alongside his coach, Gus Malzahn, who also recently congratulated his former player on his retirement.

In the NFL, Uzomah played for a total of ten seasons, seven with the Bengals and three with the Jets. With the Bengals, who drafted Uzomah with the 157th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, Uzomah totaled 1,591 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns over 79 receptions, while with the Jets, he managed 290 yards and three touchdowns on 29 receptions.

The former Tiger was a keystone piece to the two teams' NFL offenses, and perhaps coaching will be in his near future going forward.

Now, after a long, impressive career, Uzomah can finally rest and enjoy some time with his family, including his wife, Yasmin, and his daughter, Blake. 

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