Six Ferris State Football Alums Competing In NFL Preseason Camps
Big Rapids, Mich. - Six Ferris State University football alums are currently participating in 2024 National Football League (NFL) preseason training camps, which are presently underway across the country.
The Bulldogs' current NFL camp participants include four veterans in defensive tackle Zach Sieler (Miami), defensive back Tavierre Thomas (Tampa Bay), wide receiver Malik Taylor (NY Jets) and second-year defensive end Caleb Murphy (Tennessee).
Additionally, a pair of rookies also earned camp invitations, including defensive back Shon Stephens (Philadelphia), who concluded his FSU eligibility last fall, and tight end Mason Pline (San Francisco), who was a two-time national champion for the Bulldogs before playing his final season as a graduate transfer on the FCS level at Furman University last season.
The Bulldog alum will open NFL preseason action in early August with the regular-season set to begin on Sept. 5. The roster deadline is Aug. 27 in which each professional franchise must cut down to a 53-man active/inactive roster.
Six years ago, Sieler became Ferris State's first-ever NFL Draft choice when he was picked in the seventh round as the 238th overall selection by the Baltimore Ravens. He recently signed a major contract extension with the Dolphins.
Overall, the Bulldogs have now had a total of 13 different players in a NFL Preseason Camp over the past four summers, which is the most of any D2 school in the country. The 'Dawgs who have took part in NFL camps since 2021 have included not only Thomas, Sieler, Taylor and Murphy, but also DT Justin Zimmer (Buffalo), WR Jake Lampman (New Orleans), DL Austin Edwards (Kansas City), DT Chris Okoye (LA Rams), receiver Jared Bernhardt (Atlanta), offensive tackle Zein Obeid (Detroit) and offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali (Tampa Bay) in addition to both Stephens and Pline this year.
The recent Bulldog alums in the NFL over the past decade have also included former linebacker Brady Sheldon and former two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan. A total of 10 of the alums have played in at least one NFL regular-season game since 2016. Three former Bulldogs were part of team's that made the NFL Conference Championship Games in 2020 in Taylor, Zimmer and Edwards.
Along with the six alums currenlty in an NFL preseason training camp, two other ex-Bulldog standouts also had opportunities at mini-camps in the spring as both receiver Xavier Wade (Denver) and Bernhardt (NY Giants) were tryout participants in May.
While Sieler is the only Ferris State football player to ever be drafted by an NFL team, several other former Bulldogs have inked NFL contracts as free agents and played in the league. The Bulldogs had at least one NFL free agent pickup following the draft each of the past nine seasons in which they've played a campaign. A total of 17 alumni have earned camp invites over the past six years as offensive tackle Devon Johnson (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and receiver Keyondre Craig (Muskegon) also competed in training camps in 2019.
Over the past nine seasons, Sieler, Vander Laan, Sheldon, Zimmer, Thomas, Lampman, Taylor, Edwards, Bernhardt and Murphy have all seen NFL regular-season action after Lampman became the first to do so in 13 years back in 2016.
Presently, several other Bulldog alums are also competing professionally in various other indoor and outdoor leagues.
The Bulldog standouts currently in the NFL have all played key roles in leading FSU to nine consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearances, which presently leads the country. Ferris State also ranks as the country's winningest programs over the past nine full seasons in D2 Football.