Former Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack’s fifth overall selection by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL Draft on May 8 brought unprecedented attention to the UB football program.
Highlights of Buffalo football were shown on ESPN. The words “University at Buffalo” were spoken on national television by NFL analysts when discussing Mack. He is the reason many people know the Buffalo football program exists.
But Mack is not the only former UB football player trying to make a name for himself in the NFL.
The former All-American is just one of eight graduated football seniors who was either signed by or tried out for an NFL team this spring. The talented class that helped the Bulls earn just their second-ever bowl game appearance last season continue to bring recognition to the program with their status as UB alumni in the pros.
The other seniors might owe their NFL opportunities to Mack, as the linebacker attracted scouts to UB football games during the 2013 season and gave the school name more credibility. All 32 NFL teams attended UB’s Pro day on March 4.
“They’ve seen film of [Mack] and they might see film of someone else right next to him that’s playing and be like ‘Oh who’s this guy? We should check him out, too,’” said former Buffalo defensive lineman Colby Way. “He definitely helped out a lot of us in getting looks. I’m not saying we wouldn’t have been signed anyway, but it definitely helped.”
Way and two other former Bulls got their opportunity with the local NFL team, the Buffalo Bills.
Way and safety Derek Brim were both signed by the Bills as undrafted free agents, while wide receiver Fred Lee received an invite to the Bills’ rookie minicamp.
“It was amazing, the attention to detail [the Bills] focused on from the start of your routes to catching the ball and the position of your body,” Lee said. “So I took away a lot of notes and a lot of tips on things to do to stay in balance. It was just fun. It was everything you could ever imagine. It was a pretty awesome experience.”
Sharing the field with two of his former teammates enhanced the experience for Lee, as he and Brim faced each other in one-on-one drills during the minicamp. Way said it was
“Great to see a familiar face there,” as he and Brim did defensive drills together.
Lee did not make the Bills’ roster following the rookie minicamp and is now serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wyoming. Also receiving NFL rookie minicamp tryouts were offensive lineman Jasen Carlson with the Chicago Bears and cornerback Najja Johnson with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brim and Way will be competing to the make the Bills’ roster come the start of training camp in July.
Two program record holders will be fighting for an NFL roster spot this summer as well, in all-time rushing leader Branden Oliver and all-time receiving touchdown record holder Alex Neutz.
Current Green Bay Packers running back James Starks, who played for UB from 2006 to 2008 and won Super Bowl XLV, is perhaps the most accomplished UB alumnus in the NFL. After breaking his records at UB, Oliver will try yet again to follow in Starks’ footsteps.
Oliver received a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts. He was released by the Colts, however, but then signed a two-year contract with the San Diego Chargers. Neutz signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lee is proud he was on the same field with rookies from bigger-name schools like Baylor, Texas and Ohio State during the Bills’ minicamp and believes the graduated seniors have helped to change the image of the UB football program by making it to the NFL.
“Being a part of the class that had eight guys getting the opportunity to go pro, you do feel a sense of accomplishment,” Lee said. “You feel like you did what you came here to do. You came here to put Buffalo on the map and show the world that Buffalo is a great place.”
Way hopes to show that UB can produce NFL quality players and represent his school in the pros.
“What I’ve always heard is that the NFL finds good players and if UB is able to produce them, that’s great,” Way said. “I definitely want to represent my school and present what helped me get to where I am today which was the University at Buffalo. There’s definitely some pride that goes along with it to make everyone else proud that went to UB or has been a fan.”
With the amount of former Bulls now in the pros, it’s possible that you as a college freshman at UB, could be sitting next to a future NFL player in class come fall.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
