LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
Five players who starred in black college football, but only one who finished there, were drafted in last week’s three-day NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, this may be the trend going forward in black college football as talent is gradually siphoned away in the pervasive era
of the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money.
Carson Vinson
The lone draftee that finished his career at an HBCU was Alabama A&M offensive lineman Carson Vinson who was selected by Baltimore with the third pick in the fifth round, 141st overall.
Vinson, a four-year starter at A&M, was considered the top prospect among those who finished at an HBCU after being the only one with that profile invited to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.
The 6-7, 314-pounder who was first-team all-SWAC in 2024 performed well at both to solidify his forecast as a middle round selectee.
The four players who started at HBCUs but finished elsewhere were – former Jackson State defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders who transferred to Colorado, former North Carolina A&T running back Bhayshul Tuten who left the
Aggies for Virginia Techand former Alabama State running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt at Alabama State who finished a circuitous
college route at Arizona.
Travis Hunter
Hunter is the former top-ranked high school player in the country who shook up the college football recruiting world by signing to play for Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders at JSU.
After one injury-plagued season at JSU, Hunter left with his head coach to Colorado where this season he parlayed his unique skills on ffense (74 receptions, 911 yards, 9 TDs) and defense (23 tackles, 3 interceptions) into a Heisman Trophy-winning performance, logging an incredible 1,462 total snaps including 714 on offense and 748 on defense.
He was taken with the second overall pick in the draft by Jacksonville after being designated by most pundits as the top overall talent in the draft.
Bhayshul Tuten
Tuten rushed for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns in his second year at NC A&T before transferring to Virginia Tech. He set the ACC on fire with 1,159 rushing yards and 15 TDs this season and later did the same at the NFL Combine (4.32 seconds in the 40). He joins Hunter in Jacksonville after being taken by the Jaguars with the second pick in the fourth round, 104th overall.
Shedeur Sanders
Sanders followed up two outstanding years at JSU (6,963 passing yards, 70 TDs, 14 ints.) with two more scintillating seasons at Colorado (7,364 passing yards, 64 TDs, 13 ints.). Projected as the second-best quarterback in the draft, Sanders had a shockingly precipitous drop
until finally being scooped up by Cleveland with the sixth pick in the fifth round, 144th overall. His fall was among the biggest stories
of the three-day draft.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Croskey-Merritt was moderately successful in two seasons at ASU (1,164 rushing yards, 13 TDs), hit it big in one season at New Mexico (1,190 rushing yards, 17 TDs) and had short stints at Ole Miss and Arizona before a postseason Shrine Bowl MVP performance (97 rushing yards, 2 TDs). He was snapped up by Washington with the 26th pick in the seventh and last round, 245th overall.