Throughout the season, each Saturday, I will look at the best prospects from the FCS (or lower level) prospects I watched the weekend before. Or, I will look at the 2023 NFL Draft prospects from the Sun Belt schools I watched the prior weekend. During week five I saw one game involving Sun Belt teams and a few others with FCS prospects.
SUN BELT SATURDAY
COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS
Grayson McCall returned to the field for Coastal after missing a few weeks with an injury. Before he could even figure out what happened, the Chanticleers were down 31-0. McCall had a solid day with 29/41 passing for 319 yards and three TDs with one INT. The 4th-year passer now has a decision to make. Does he enter the NFL Draft where he will be viewed as a raw prospect? Does he stay at Coastal Carolina? Or does he enter the transfer portal now that head coach Jamey Chadwell has left for Liberty?
TROY TROJANS
Troy’s main prospects had sort of a quiet day. Well, Carlton Martial had nine tackles (two solos). That is a calm day for him. 4th-year safety Dell Pettus had a great game in run support with 11 stops.
Trojans’ WR Tez Johnson was a bit subdued with no big plays. He did catch three passes for 59 yards (five targets).
SMALL SCHOOL NOTES
I caught the North Dakota State win over Montana in FCS Playoffs last Saturday.
The Bison have a pair of running backs that are fun to watch. 4th-year runner Kobe Johnson (12-206 2 TD) and 5th-year prospect TaMerik Williams (11-101 1 TD) both helped NDSU cruise. It is easy to run when you have stud offensive linemen like OT Cody Mauch. Mauch will have a big chance to impress at the Senior Bowl.
Unfortunately, his teammate Hunter Luepke will not be joining him. Luepke missed this game and had shoulder surgery. It will keep him out of the Senior Bowl and likely the Combine. Luepke is a fun player to watch as he lines up all over the field. He has played running back, fullback, h-back, and tight end.
This concludes the Sun Belt Saturday articles for the 2022 season.