Four Ferris State Football Alums Made NFL Season Debuts In Week One Action
Big Rapids, Mich. - Four Ferris State University football alums made their National Football League (NFL) season debuts on Sunday in week one action.
Bulldog alum Justin Zimmer, who was promoted to the Buffalo Bills' active roster on Saturday, totaled four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the the Bills' 27-17 home win over the New York Jets.
Meanwhile, third-year pro Tavierre Thomas of the Cleveland Browns finished with four tackles, including three solo, to go with a sack, tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in a 38-6 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Fellow third-year Bulldog pro Zach Sieler saw action for the Miami Dolphins in their 21-11 road setback at New England and finished with a tackle while ex-Bulldog receiver Malik Taylor saw his first-ever NFL regular-season action for the Green Bay Packers, who were a 43-34 winner over the Minnesota Vikings on the road. Taylor played one offensive snap and was involved in 14 special teams plays.
Along with the four active roster players, rookie defensive end Austin Edwards, who was the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year as a senior last fall for the Bulldogs, is currently on the practice squad with the Atlanta Falcons after being one of the club's final cuts of camp, giving FSU a total of five alums currently in the NFL, which is the most of any NCAA Division II school in the country.
This coming week, in week two action, Thomas and the Browns host Cincinnati on Thursday night at 8:20 p.m. (ET). The Sunday slate features Taylor and the Packers entertaining the Detroit Lions at 1 p.m. (ET). Zimmer and Sieler will both take the same field as the Bills travel to Miami to face the Dolphins at 1 p.m. (ET) as well.
Along with the five Bulldogs who remain with NFL organizations at this time, they were joined in camp by linebacker Brady Sheldon (Cincinnati). In addition, former Harlon Hill winner Jason Vander Laan (New Orleans) decided to opt out of the NFL this season under the COVID-19 guidelines. Former wide receiver Jake Lampman also had an NFL tryout with the New Orleans Saints in August after formerly playing for the organization.
Taylor joins Sieler, Vander Laan, Sheldon, Zimmer, Thomas and Lampman as former Bulldogs who have all seen NFL regular-season action in the past four years after Lampman became the first former Bulldog to do so in 13 years back in 2016.
Last fall, during the 2019 season, five Bulldog alums were signed to the active roster at one point and played in at least one regular-season game.
The seven Bulldog alums mentioned who were with NFL organizations this offseason were the most of any NCAA Division II institution in the country. A total of 11 different former Bulldogs have been invited to NFL Preseason Camps over the past four years.
The Bulldog alums in the NFL have all played key roles in helping FSU to a nation-best 72-9 overall record over the past six seasons. The Bulldogs have claimed four conference championships, posted four unbeaten regular-seasons, captured three regional titles and reached the national quarterfinals four times along with the national semifinals three times and the national championship game once during the stretch.