SMALL SCHOOL PLAYERS IN THE SPRING LEAGUE - NORTH

ALPHAS

VAD LEE, QB, James Madison (FCS)
BLAKE MORGAN, RB, Wofford (FCS)
LA'RONCE HIGGINS, WR, Southern Arkansas (DII)
JEFF COTTON, WR, Idaho (FCS)
DEONTEZ ALEXANDER, WR, Franklin College (DIII)
TEVON WRIGHT, WR, Chadron State (DII)
CHRIS CLARK, TE, Towson State (FCS)
JOSHUA POE, OG, Morehead State (FCS)
JOSH AVERY, DT, Southern Missouri State (DII)
NASIR PLAYER, DT, East Tennessee State (FCS)
CHRIS OKOYE, DE, Ferris State (DII)
SHAUN McGEE, LB, Tuskegee (DII)
JOJO TILLERY, LB, Wofford (FCS)
MANDELL RAY, DB, Morehouse (DII)
MALIK DAVIS, DB, AUSTIN PEAY (FCS)
TAERON BROWN, DB, Pikeville (NAIA)
NATHAN HIERLIHY, K, Redlands (DIII)

AVIATORS

SETH SUIDA, QB Concordia (NAIA)
LEROY WILSON, RB, West Florida (DII)
CHARLES JOHNSON, II, WR, Bethel (DIII)
ERICK BRUNDIDGE, WR, West Chester (DII)
DIMITRIOS TSESMETZIS, TE, Western Connecticut State (DIII)
DYLAN STAPLETON. TE, James Madison (FCS)
WOODY BRANDOM, TE, Sam Houston State (FCS)
TAYLOR TAPPIN, DT, Sacramento State (FCS)
PAILAKE AIONO, DT, Sacramento State (FCS)
ERICK BROWBE, OG, Merrimack (FCS)
MALIK HARRIS, DE, Incarnate Word (DII)
AARON ORTIZ, LB, Sioux Falls (DII)
DEREK PARNELL, DB, Western Oregon (DII)
ROMAN TATUM, DB, Southern Illinois (FCS)
TERE CALLOWAY, DB,  Alabama A&M (FCS)
CLARK RIEDEL, P, Wisconsin Stout (DIII)
CLAY DZIEKAN, LS, Wisconsin Stout (DIII)

CONQUERORS

KEVIN ANDERSON, QB, Fordham (FCS)
LUKE SELLARS, RB, South Dakota State (FCS)
SOLA OLATEJU, RB, Wheaton College (DIII)
JORDAN SALIMA, RB, Truman State (DII)
COLE SPIEKER, WR, Wisconsin La Crosse (DIII)
VINNY PAPALE, WR, Delaware (FCS)
DuSHON DAVID, WR, Bowie State (DII)
JOSHUA FIELDS, OG, Elizabeth City State (DII)
JOHN YARBOROUGH, OC, Richmond (FCS)
DANTE REYNOLDS, OC, Delaware (FCS)
ROBERT METERS, DT, Tennessee State (FCS)
DONDREA TILLMAN, DT, Indiana (PA) (DII)
KHRISTIAN TATE, DT, Georgetown (FCS)
HINWA ALLEIU, DT, Nebraska–Kearney (DII)
BASIL JACKSON, LB, Tarleton State (FCS)
BEAU GRIEGO, LB, Morehead State (FCS)
ROYCE SEE, LB, Sam Houston State (FCS)
ZACH HALL, LB, Southeast Missouri State (FCS)
AHMAD GOODEN, LB, Samford (FCS)
KEN HIKE, JR., DB, Tuskegee (DII)
DOMINIQUE MARTIN, DB, Tarleton State (FCS)

LINEMAN

STAN BEDWELL, QB, Trinity Bible College (DIII)
DJ DAVIS, RB, Southern Illinois (FCS)
CHRISTIAN GIBBS, WR, Illinois State (FCS)
CHAZ BARNES, WR, Lindsey Wilson (NAIA)
MICHAEL DEREUS, WR, Georgetown (FCS)
REECE HORN, WR, Indianapolis (DII)
DELFONTE DIAMOND, McMurry (DIII)
BRANDON GRADY, OG, Greensboro College (DIII)
CHRISTIAN OLMSTEAD, OL, Findlay (DII)
CHASE DEMOOR, DE, Central Washington (DII)
CHRISTIAN CONNOR, DT, Jacksonville State (FCS)
STEFEN BANKS, DE, Savannah State (DII)
MARQUIS SMITH, LB, Savannah State (DII)
ANGELO GARBUTT, LB, Missouri State (FCS)
CURTIS COLLINS, LB, Notre Dame College (DII)
RE'SHAUN MEYERS, LB, Bridgewater College (DIII)
REGGIE COLE, DB, Mary Hardin Baylor (DIII)
TRE DICKERSON, DB, Emporia State (DII)
PAUL RUCCI, LS, Rowan (DIII)

10 D-III players on NFL rosters

 

FROM D3FOOTBALL.COM

Although some of the faces of Division III football in the NFL are changing, D-III retains its numbers in the league as seven players start the season on 53-man rosters, two on practice squads and one on the reserve/injured list as the 2020 NFL season gets underway.

Two players from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and seven members of West Region teams are among the 10, and two of them are on the Las Vegas Raiders: tight end Derek Carrier, an eight-year pro out of Beloit, and linebacker Nicholas Morrow, a fourth-year pro from Greenville. Morrow re-signed with the Raiders for $3.26 million this past offseason after a year in which he started eight games and was on the field for 70 percent of the team's snaps.

UW-Platteville alumnus Dan Arnold returns to the Arizona Cardinals after he caught six passes from his tight end spot over the team's final three games last season. He has been proclaimed as a potential breakout candidate in 2020. 

Former St. John's lineman Ben Bartch, who was Division III football's only draftee this past offseason, joins the Jaguars, while standout Hobart alumnus Ali Marpet will remain in a starting role for the Buccaneers and Matt Gono, a Wesley alumnus who got into five games with the Falcons last year, returns to Atlanta.

Brandon Zylstra had a great training camp and enters his third year in the league. It's the second season for the Concordia-Moorhead alumnus at wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers after he caught eight passes in 2019, five of them for first downs.

The Chicago Bears placed former Dubuque cornerback Michael Joseph on injured reserve last week. Former UW-Whitewater receiver Jake Kumerow will start the season on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills after he was cut by the Packers, and Berry wide receiver Mason Kinsey will start his first NFL season on the Patriots' practice squad.

The Bills cut veteran kicker Stephen Hauschka in August, but the Middlebury graduate could still catch on somewhere this season. Former Monmouth quarterback Alex Tanney, who has stuck around the league for several years but has only had the chance to throw 15 passes, was cut by the New York Giants.

The full list:

Arizona Cardinals -- Dan Arnold, TE, UW-Platteville

Atlanta Falcons -- Matt Gono, T, Wesley

Carolina Panthers -- Brandon Zylstra, WR, Concordia-Moorhead

Jacksonville Jaguars -- Ben Bartch, OL, St. John's

Las Vegas Raiders -- Derek Carrier, TE, Beloit

Las Vegas Raiders -- Nicholas Morrow, LB, Greenville

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Ali Marpet, G, Hobart

Reserve/injured
Chicago Bears -- Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque (reserve/injured)

Practice squad
Buffalo Bills -- Jake Kumerow, WR, UW-Whitewater

New England Patriots -- Mason Kinsey, WR, Berry

Over 60 D-II Alums on NFL Rosters

 

FROM D2FOOTBALL.COM: 

Over 60 Alums on NFL Rosters

The following D-II players were on active NFL rosters the first week of the 2020 season. It is updated from time to time based upon NFL transactions but is not guaranteed to be accurate to the minute.

Albany State, Grover Stewart, DT, Dolphins

Ashland, Adam Shaheen, TE, Bears

Assumption, Deonte Harris, WR, Saints

Assumption, Zach Triner, LS, Buccaneers

Augustana, C.J. Hamm, RB, Vikings

Bemidji State, Gunner Olszewski, WR, Patriots

Bloomsburg, Matt Feiler, T, Steelers

California (PA), Erik Harris, S, Raiders

Carson-Newman, Chris Jones, P, Cowboys

Charleston, John Cominskey, DE, Falcons

CSU-Pueblo, Morgan Fox, DE, Rams

CSU-Pueblo, Ryan Jensen, C, Buccaneers

CSU-Pueblo, Mike Pennel, DT, Chiefs

East Central, Trinity Benson, WR, Broncos

East Central, David Moore, WR, Seahawks

Ferris State, Austin Edwards, DE, Falcons

Ferris State, Zack Sieler, DT, Dolphins

Ferris State, Malik Taylor, WR, Packers

Ferris State, Tavierre Thomas, DB, Browns

Ferris State, Jason Vander Laan, TE, Saints

Ferris State, Justin Zimmer, DL, Bills

Fort Hays, Nathan Shepherd, DL, Jets

Grand Valley, Brandon Carr, CB, Cowboys

Grand Valley, Matt Judon, LB, Ravens

Grand Valley, Nick Keizer, TE, Chiefs

Humboldt State, Alex Cappa, G, Buccaneers

Kentucky Wesleyan, Keelan Cole, WR,Jaguars

Limestone, Vyncint Smith, WR, Jets

Lenoir-Rhyne, Kyle Dugger, DB, Patriots

Lindenwood, Pierre Desir, CB, Jets

Lindenwood, Jonathan Harris, DL, Broncos

Malone, Ashton Dulin, WR, Colts

Mars Hill, Denzelle Good, OL, Raiders

Midwestern State, Marqui Christian, S, Bears

Minnesota State, Adam Theilen, WR, Panthers

Missouri Southern, Brandon Williams, DT, Ravens

Missouri Western, Greg Zuerlein, K, Cowboys

Newberry, Edmond Robinson, LB, Falcons

North Alabama, Janoris Jenkins, CB, Saints

Pittsburg State, DeVante Bausby, CB, Broncos

Pittsburg State, John Brown. WR, Ravens

Saginaw Valley, Jeff Heath, S, Raiders

Simon Fraser, Rysen John, WR, Giants

Sioux Falls, Dennis Gardeck, LB, Cardinals

Sioux Falls, Trey Pipkins, T, Chargers

Southern Arkansas, Tanner Hudson, TE, Buccaneers

Tarleton State, EJ Speed, LB, Colts

Valdosta State, Stephen Denmark, DB,Bears

Valdosta State, Jody Fortson, WR, Chiefs

Valdosta State, Kenny Moore II, CB, Colts

Virginia State, Trenton Cannon, RB, Panthers

Washburn, Corey Ballentine, CB, Giants

Washburn, Kyle Hinton, G, Vikings

Wayne State (Mich.), Anthony Pittman, LB, Lions

West Alabama, Malcolm Butler, CB, Titans

West Alabama, Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs

West Alabama, Seth Roberts, WR, Ravens

West Alabama, Dee Virgin, CB, Lions

West Georgia, Tyrell Adams, LB, Texans

West Georgia, Alex Armah, RB, Panthers

West Georgia, John Hurst, WR, Buccaneers

Western Oregon, Tyrell Williams, WR, Raiders

Western State, Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers

It’s Time to Add Small School Sunday to the NFL Draft

By Craig Forrestal
NFL Draft Diamonds

The NFL Draft used to be made up of double-digit rounds before being shortened to the current seven-round format. But aside from being shortened the draft has evolved into its own beast. There was a point where not a single soul put any interest into this event but now it has 365-day coverage culminating in a phenomenal three-day television special in late April.

The draft has evolved and added twists and wrinkles. There was once a time, in the 1930s, where only the five worst teams were allowed to make selections in the second and fourth rounds.

And now I think it’s time for a new twist:

Small School Sunday.

This would add three rounds and a fourth day to the NFL Draft. Rounds 8, 9 and 10 would take place on Sunday and all selections would be from prospects from the FCS, Division 2, Division 3, or NAIA levels along with International and Canadian prospects. This wrinkle would not forbid the Patriots from taking Kyle Dugger at 37 overall or prevent the Panthers from taking Jeremy Chinn with the 64th selection or any other small schoolers from being selected during the seven-round process, but would rather allow for players that dominated lower levels of competition to get a more extensive look with the addition of Small School Sunday.
The NFL had announced plans to host a combine at the Miami Dolphins Practice Facility for HBCU draft-eligible athletes but that event did not transpire as initially planned due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

This Small School Sunday promotes the underdog and everyone loves to root for an underdog. Imagine if Kurt Warner or Tony Romo were selected on Small School Sunday? There are countless other small schoolers that have found NFL success despite facing the undrafted odds. 

Who could have been the next Tony Romo selected in the draft this year on Small School Sunday? Could it have been Roland Rivers III of Slippery Rock? Maybe it could have been Nick Tiano of UT-Chattanooga? There are tons of other QBs that could have gone in those spots as well.

But the Non-FBS levels offer talent all over the field. That’s why the importance of the regional combines and the HBCU combine are so important to the future of the draft.

These additional three rounds would allow scouting departments to flourish. The hunt for under the radar talent and being the team known for finding the small school talent would be a fun thing to see unfold. I think a team like the Baltimore Ravens could dominate this part of the draft. They immediately come to mind as they’ve had an undrafted player make their roster every year for more than a decade and it seems like they draft well every year. Maybe an unexpected team like the Houston Texans finds their niche in these rounds?

This adds to the intrigue of the world’s best real-life soap opera known as the NFL. However the NFL can add intrigue to the brand they examine and consider it. I feel given the YouTube era where players like Tarik Cohen show off crazy skills to get noticed at these lower levels the potential Small School Sunday creates additional opportunities at a roster spot in the NFL.

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

WR - TOP TWENTY BY DIVISION

TOP 20 FCS RECEIVERS WE'RE WATCHING FOR 2021 DRAFT

Deangelo Wilson	Austin Peay
Samori Toure	Montana
Cade Johnson	South Dakota St.
Ben Ratzlaff	Houston Baptist
Ra'Shaun Henry	Saint Francis (PA)
Zabrian Moore	Alabama A&M
Isaiah Weston	UNI
Donnie Corley	Texas Southern
Lonnie Moore IV	Monmouth
Tyshaun James	Central Conn. St.
Stacy Chukwumezie	Northern Ariz.
Cyron Sutton	McNeese
Harry Ballard	Ark.-Pine Bluff
De'Mo Burroughs	South Carolina St.
Pierre Williams	Sacramento St.
Terrance Greene Jr.	Monmouth
Austin Mitchell	Southeastern La.
Talolo Limu-Jones	Eastern Wash.
Raleigh Webb	The Citadel
Lecharles Pringle	Alcorn

TOP 20 D-II RECEIVERS WE'RE WATCHING FOR 2021 DRAFT

Henry Litwin	Slippery Rock
Jermaine Wynn Jr.	Slippery Rock
Tariq Bitson	Adams St.
Reggie Colson III	Western N.M.
Ruben Flowers III	Findlay
Brian Saunds	Valdosta St.
Jalik Jaggwe	William Jewell
Javon Hayes	Fairmont St.
Tyson Hill	Cal U (PA)
Winston Eubanks	Shippensburg
Keke Chism	Angelo St.
Chad Gailliard	Saginaw Valley
Konnor Maloney	Hillsdale
JF Thomas	Tarleton St.
Devanaire Conliffe	Ohio Dominican
Cinque Sweeting	Slippery Rock
Isaiah Robinson	West Liberty
Cole Thurness	Chadron St.
Logan Bolin	Ashland
Dominic Pegley	Alderson Broaddus

TOP 20 D-III RECEIVERS WE'RE WATCHING FOR 2021 DRAFT

Andrew Kamienski	North Central (IL)
Cody Gustafson	Grove City
Manni Romero	Norwich
Colt Morgan	CWRU
Eric Pacheco	Buena Vista
Erik Knaack	Central (IA)
Steven Fedorchak	Western New England
Andrew Vito	Ithaca
Noah Thomas	Rose-Hulman
Tyler Halls	Husson
Adam Terrini	Wheaton (IL)
Cameron Drake	Grove City
Henry Wilson	Adrian
Jermaine Russell	Guilford
Peyton Vining	Denison
Win Hunter	Pomona-Pitzer
Maceo Matthews	Heidelberg
Hakim Williams Jr.	Whittier
Aaron Nelson	Delaware Valley
Maceo Matthews	Heidelberg

TOP 20 NAIA RECEIVERS WE'RE WATCHING FOR 2021 DRAFT

Williams, Stevie	Kansas Wesleyan
Jurgensmeier, Reid	Morningside (Iowa)
Huckabee, Sam	Baker (Kan.)
Solberg, Shane	Northwestern (Iowa)
Turner, Anthony	Grand View (Iowa)
Hoffman, Trevor	Montana Tech
William, Johnny	Marian (Ind.)
Sipes, Shane	Carroll (Mont.)
Satterfield, Randy	Lyon (Ark.)
Witherspoon, Eugene	Southeastern (Fla.)
Frye, Tyger	Dickinson State (N.D.)
Overton, Lucas	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Thomas, Caleb	Graceland (Iowa)
Smith, Brayden	Indiana Wesleyan
Hopkins, Christian	Avila (Mo.)
Trotman Jr., Jermaine	St. Andrews (N.C.)
Johnson, Mateen	Culver-Stockton (Mo.)
Harper, Derrick	Tabor (Kan.)
Foos, Dylan	Ottawa (Kan.)
Richardson, Taz	Graceland (Iowa)