DALLAS – Conference USA had six players selected in the 2019 National Football League Draft, which concluded early Saturday evening in Nashville. A pair of standouts from Florida Atlantic and Old Dominion, along with Charlotte and Louisiana Tech players were chosen to continue their football careers in the NFL.
Record-setting Florida Atlantic RB
Devin Singletary was the first C-USA player to go off the board, being chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the 11
th pick of the third round (#75 overall). In his three seasons wearing an Owl uniform, the Deerfield Beach, Florida native tallied 66 rushing touchdowns, which ranks him No. 6 on the all-time FBS list (and the most ever among those having only played three years). His career averages are 5.0 yards per carry and 113.1 yards per game, and he totaled 4,299 yards on the ground, the sixth-most in C-USA history.
Nicknamed “Motor,” Singletary earned Second Team All-American honors in 2018 and 2017 and he was also a two-time Conference USA First Team honoree after leading the league in rushing yards in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, he was named the 2017 C-USA MVP and led the nation in points scored, and led the league in 2018 in rushing yards (1,348), rushing yards per game (112.3), scoring per game (11.0) and rushing and total touchdowns (22).
Seven picks later, Charlotte OG
Nate Davis was taken by the Tennessee Titans (#82 overall). Davis (Ashburn, Virginia), a 6-3 offensive lineman, becomes the second 49er to be selected in the NFL Draft in the past three years (Cleveland Browns DL Larry Ogunjobi was a third-round choice in 2017). The two were teammates in 2014 (Davis’ red-shirt season), 2015 and 2016.
Davis made 37 starts over his 41-game career with the 49ers. He was named Second Team all-Conference USA in 2018 and was an honorable mention all-C-USA selection in 2016 and 2017. This past season, Davis started seven of eight games played and anchored an offensive line that ranked fifth in C-USA in rushing (159.9 yds./gm). He helped open holes for the league’s second-leading rusher, Benny LeMay, who ran for 1,228 yards (102.3/gm).
Louisiana Tech DE/OLB
Jaylon Ferguson, the 2018 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, was taken by the AFC North Division Champion Baltimore Ravens three picks after Davis at No. 85. Ferguson became the all-time leader in NCAA history in career sacks (45.0) after breaking the record in Louisiana Tech's win over Hawai’i in the 2018 SoFi Hawaii Bowl. The St. Francisville, Louisiana, native also earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the nation in sacks (17.5) as a senior. The defensive end was also recognized on four different All-America teams following the 2018 season. Ferguson earned First Team All-Conference USA honors in three seasons (2018, 2017, 2016) and was a C-USA All-Freshman team member and honorable mention All-C-USA performer during his 2015 rookie season.
Ferguson spent the majority of the past two days focusing on something more important than when his name would be called. Due to the devastation caused by a tornado that struck Ruston at approximately 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, Ferguson spent much of Thursday and Friday lending a helping hand in the relief efforts surrounding his college community.
Old Dominion DE
Oshane Ximines made history as he became the first Monarchs football player to be drafted, taken in the third round (95th overall) by the New York Giants. A native of Ahoskie, North Carolina, Ximines had a record-setting career for Old Dominion, setting Monarch career bests in sacks with 33, tackles for loss with 50.5, forced fumbles with 11 and QB hurries with 33. He native also ranks ninth in ODU history with 12 pass breakups.
In 2018, he finished fifth in FBS with 12 sacks and 15th with 18.5 tackles for loss. His 58 total tackles were the 10th-most by an FBS defensive linemen and he registered his first career interception against Marshall. Ximines was a two-time first-team All-Conference USA honoree, earning second-team honors as a sophomore and all-freshman honors in 2015.
Ximines was named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, and was a two-time honoree on the C-USA All-Academic Team. He was also named to the National Football Foundation Honor Society, which goes to graduating seniors who maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
Old Dominion WR
Travis Fulgham became the second Monarch to be taken in the NFL Draft when he was drafted in the sixth round (No. 184 overall) by the Detroit Lions. Fulgham, a former walk-on, led Conference USA last season with 1,083 receiving yards and 17.2 yards per catch. He finished the season with an FBS-best nine-straight games with a touchdown, closing the season with a career-best 63 catches. The Ashburn, Virginia, native tied his single-game high twice in 2018, with 10 catches apiece against Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee and he registered a career-best 215-yards in the game against Middle Tennessee. Fulgham concluded his ODU career with 128 receptions, good for seventh in the ODU record books and recorded 2,044 yards, sixth most in school history and 18 touchdowns.
A second Florida Atlantic running back went off the board in the seventh round (No. 222 overall) when the Chicago Bears selected
Kerrith Whyte, Jr. The Loxahatchee, Florida, native is the only player in the FAU program's history to return a kick for a touchdown. The redshirt junior, who will graduate next week, did so in 2017 at Louisiana Tech and repeated the feat in 2018 vs. Old Dominion. He was part of a one-two punch in the backfield in 2018, tallying 866 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, playing alongside Buffalo Bills draftee Devin Singletary. Whyte also added 10 receptions for 160 yards and two scores.
Whyte’s selection also marked the second time two FAU players were taken in the same draft (2014) and the first time two Owls running backs were chosen in the same draft.
Additional Conference USA players are expected to sign NFL free agent deals in the coming days.
CONFERENCE USA’S 2019 NFL DRAFTEES
Round Overall Player Pos. C-USA School NFL Team
Third 75 Devin Singletary RB Florida Atlantic Buffalo Bills
Third 82 Nate Davis OG Charlotte Tennessee Titans
Third 85 Jaylon Ferguson DE/OLB Louisiana Tech Baltimore Ravens
Third 95 Oshane Ximines DE Old Dominion New York Giants
Sixth 184 Travis Fulgham WR Old Dominion Detroit Lions
Seventh 222 Kerrith Whyte, Jr. RB Florida Atlantic Chicago Bears