Calvin Austin

Calvin Austin III (born March 24, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver and punt returner for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Memphis Tigers.

Early life Austin was born March 24, 1999, grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Harding Academy. His family consists of his father, Calvin Austin II, and mother, Mimi Austin, and his four sisters: Cami Bea, Claudia-Ruthie, Naomi Pearl, and Bella Rose.

College career Austin redshirted his true freshman season at Memphis after joining the team as a walk-on. During his redshirt sophomore season, he was awarded a scholarship and finished the year with 17 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. As a redshirt junior, Austin caught 61 passes for 1,053 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named first-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC). He repeated as a first-team All-AAC selection after finishing his redshirt senior season with 74 receptions for 1149 yards and eight touchdowns. After the conclusion of his college career, Austin was invited to play in the 2022 Senior Bowl.

Austin also ran track at Memphis and was named a second-team All-American in 2019.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Austin was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round, 138th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2022 due to a foot injury. After Austin aggravated his injury, the Steelers let his return window pass and he was placed on season–ending injured reserve on October 26, 2022.

2023

Austin made the Steelers' 53-man roster to begin the 2023 season. In week 3 of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders, Austin caught his first NFL touchdown on a 72-yard deep pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett in a 23–18 Steelers victory. In week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Austin scored his first rushing touchdown on a 7-yard run as the Steelers won 34–11. He finished his first full season with 17 receptions for 180 yards and one receiving touchdown to go with one rushing touchdown in 17 games and one start. In his postseason debut, Austin scored a receiving touchdown in the 31–17 loss to the Bills in the Wild Card Round.

2024 Austin, along with running back Cordarrelle Patterson, was named one of the team's kick returners ahead of the regular season. On September 22, 2024, Austin recorded a career-high 95 receiving yards against the Los Angeles Chargers. During the game, Austin caught four passes in total, one being a 55-yard touchdown catch from Justin Fields in the fourth quarter.

On October 28, 2024, Austin recorded his first career punt return touchdown, a 73-yard return, as well as his first career multi-touchdown game against the New York Giants, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Austin finished the 2024 regular season with 36 catches on 58 targets for 548 yards and four touchdowns. Austin and the Steelers achieved a second consecutive postseason berth with a record of 10–7. During the AFC Wild Card playoff matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Austin caught one pass for 25 yards and returned one punt for 14 yards. The Steelers lost the game 28–14, ending their 2024 campaign.

2025 Austin made his first appearance of the 2025 season catching four passes on six targets for 70 yards. He scored a touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to give the Steelers a five-point lead over the New York Jets.

New York Giants On March 14, 2026, Austin signed with the New York Giants on a one-year, $4.5 million contract. On August 25, Austin suffered a season-ending ACL tear and was placed on injured reserve.

Career statistics

NFL

College Season Team GP Receiving Rushing Punt return Rec Yds TD Att Yds TD Ret Yds TD 2017 Memphis 0 2018 Memphis 4 2 24 0 1 83 1 0 0 0 2019 Memphis 9 17 315 3 4 3 1 4 0 0 2020 Memphis 11 63 1,053 11 2 14 0 20 188 1 2021 Memphis 12 74 1,149 8 1 69 1 5 135 1 Career 36 156 2,541 22 8 169 3 29 323 2

Personal life Austin is the son of Calvin and Mimi Austin. His father went to college at University of Memphis as well.