Regardless of a record-shattering collegiate profession, Virginia Union star Jada Byers was not chosen within the NFL Draft nor signed by any NFL groups. Nevertheless, the HBCU standout is getting an expert alternative—he’s signing with the UFL’s Memphis Showboats, in line with a report from Steve Wyche of NFL Community.
Byers, broadly thought to be a generational expertise at operating again in HBCU soccer historical past, was named the 2024 Deacon Jones Award winner, an honor given to the highest participant in HBCU soccer. He additionally earned Black Faculty Soccer Corridor of Fame Participant of the Yr and CIAA Offensive Participant of the Yr accolades.
The Virginia Union senior capped off his exceptional collegiate profession as the college’s all-time main rusher. Nationally, he ranks second all-time in each CIAA and HBCU soccer historical past with 2,061 dashing yards and 27 touchdowns within the 2024 season alone. His legendary standing was cemented with a record-breaking efficiency in opposition to Bowie State on October 26, the place he rushed for 324 yards and 6 touchdowns, together with a shocking 75-yard rating.
Although Byers was neglected by the NFL, his signing with the UFL provides him a platform to showcase his expertise and proceed his soccer journey. His mixture of imaginative and prescient, pace, and sturdiness makes him a harmful weapon out of the backfield, and the Memphis Showboats might have landed one of many greatest steals in different skilled soccer.
Byers’ journey displays the resilience typically required of HBCU athletes striving for recognition on the skilled stage. With the UFL as his new stage, he’ll look to show that his identify belongs among the many finest—no matter league.
