Frederick Julian Ashby II (born July 8, 2002) is an American professional football long snapper for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Furman Paladins and the Vanderbilt Commodores. He was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life.
Ashby played at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. He helped lead Parkview to a 12–2 record and an appearance in the state playoff semifinals. He committed to play college football for Furman, an FCS program.
College career.
Furman.
Ashby started at Furman for all of his 4 years there, from 2020–2023, starting 44 games. In 2023, he helped lead them to a 10–3 record, a Southern Conference championship, and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
Vanderbilt.
On December 12, 2023, Ashby announced his transfer to the Vanderbilt Commodores football program. In his lone season at Vanderbilt, he played in all 13 games, executed 114 snaps, and was a Patrick Mannelly Award semifinalist. He recorded a tackle against Kentucky and South Carolina respectively.
Professional career.
Ashby was selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round (251st overall) of the 2025 NFL draft. He was the first Vanderbilt player drafted since , and also the first long snapper drafted since then.
Personal life.
Ashby was born on July 8, 2002, in Atlanta, to Glenton and Marvel Ashby. He has two siblings. His father, Glenton, played college tennis at Georgia Tech, and his uncle, Richard, played tennis at South Carolina. He received numerous academic awards in high school and college, and posted a 3.97 GPA at Furman as a physics major.