Twelve former NJCAA players to suit up for Super Bowl LV
NJCAA Alumni in Super Bowl LV Photo Gallery
Charlotte, NC – Twelve NJCAA alumni will be representing the association in the Super Bowl Sunday in Tampa, FL, with eight players on the Kansas City Chiefs and four on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs return to Super Bowl LV in search of their second consecutive ring, while the Buccaneers will be the first NFL team to compete for the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.
| NJCAA Alumni in Super Bowl LIV | ||||
| Name | Pos. | NJCAA Program | NCAA Program | NFL Team |
| Tyreek Hill | WR | Garden City (KS) | West Alabama | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Darwin Thompson | RB | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | Utah State | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Byron Pringle | WR | Butler (KS) | Kansas State | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Mike Pennel | DT | Scottsdale (AZ) | Colorado State-Pueblo | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Damien Wilson | LB | Jones (MS) | Minnesota | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Charvarius Ward | CB | Hinds (MS) | Middle Tennessee State | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Martinas Rankin | OL | Mississippi Gulf Coast | Mississippi State | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Yasir Durant | OL | Arizona Western | Missouri | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Jason Pierre-Paul | LB | Fort Scott (KS) | South Florida | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Lavonte David | LB | Fort Scott (KS) | Nebraska | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| John Franklin III | WR | East Mississippi | Florida Atlantic | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Jeremiah Ledbetter | DE | Hutchinson (KS) | Arkansas | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
A 2008 First-Team KJCCC All-Conference and NJCAA All-American, Jason Pierre-Paul spent one season at Fort Scott (KS) but turned the heads of coaches and scouts alike. Pierre-Paul helped pioneer a strong defensive effort, compiling 70 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss, leading the Greyhounds to a 9-2 record and a bowl victory in the Heart of Texas Bowl.
"JPP" moved on to the University of South Florida where he continued to shine. He appeared in 13 games with seven starts and finished the season with an impressive 45 tackles, accompanied by 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception which he returned for a touchdown. Pierre-Paul decided to forego his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He was selected 15th overall by the New York Giants. After a solid rookie season with 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks, he followed that up with arguably the best season of his then young career. In 2011, Pierre-Paul earned his first Pro-Bowl selection, finishing the season with 65 tackles, 16.5 sacks (fourth in the league), two forced fumbles, and a safety. The Giants went on to win Super Bowl XLVI that season, his only ring to date.
A two-time first-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection and NJCAA All-American in 2009, Lavonte David will be enjoying his first Super Bowl appearance after a so-far stellar career with the Buccaneers. David began his career alongside teammate Jason Pierre-Paul, attending Fort Scott (KS) for two years. After a solid freshman campaign, David led the Greyhounds to an appearance in the 2009 NJCAA Football Championship game. David was named Defensive MVP, recording 12 tackles and a sack on former Blinn (TX) quarterback Cam Newton.
Following his time in Fort Scott, David earned a starting position at the University of Nebraska. He made his presence alone instantly, setting the school's single-season record for tackles with 152 in just his first season with the Cornhuskers. David's many accolades for the 2010 season include first-team All-American, first-team Big 12, and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. During his senior campaign, David recorded 133 tackles and led Nebraska in tackles for loss, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries. At the conclusion of the season, he was awarded the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, awarded to the best linebacker in the Big Ten.
David was selected by the Bucs in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft as the 58th overall pick. He was a starter from the gate and posted 139 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two sacks, and one interception while earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. David later earned Pro-Bowl selection in 2014 and has continued to be a cornerstone of the Buccaneers defense, owning five different franchise records.
An alumnus of East Mississippi, John Franklin III will be attending his first Super Bowl after just three years in the league. After two years as a backup quarterback at Florida State, Franklin chose to transfer to East Mississippi in hopes of gaining notoriety and finding himself back in the NCAA. He continued to serve as a backup QB for the Lions, as they went on to win the MACJC title during his only season in Scooba. Franklin later transferred to Auburn (AL), where he made the transition to wide receiver.
Franklin transferred once more to FAU, where he saw an increased role in the Owls' offense. He compiled seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown while adding 16 rushes for 229 yards with an average of 14.3 yards per carry and adding two touchdowns. After being signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2018, Franklin earned a spot on the Buccaneers' roster in 2019.
Hutchinson (KS) alum Jeremiah Ledbetter is on his second stint with the Buccaneers and will be making his first appearance in the Super Bowl. Ledbetter was a member of the Blue Dragons for two seasons. After a solid freshman season, he immensely stepped his game up in his sophomore campaign, totaling 24.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. His outstanding performance earned NJCAA All-American honors.
After two solid seasons at Hutchinson, Ledbetter transferred to Arkansas, where he made an immediate impact. He compiled 55 tackles (7.5 for loss) and increased that his senior season, gathering 49 tackles (7.5 for loss), and 5.5 sacks. Jeremiah entered the 2017 NFL Draft and was selected in the sixth round (205th overall) by the Detroit Lions. He was later waived by Detroit and bounced around the Bucs for the first time as well as the Ravens, before ultimately finding himself back in Tampa.
Tyreek Hill was a two-sport student-athlete while attending Garden City (KS) from 2012-13. While also competing in men's track & field, Hill was a dual-threat on the football field. In this final season as a Broncbusters, Hill recorded 638 rushing and 557 receiving yards. Hill then finished his collegiate career at West Alabama where he combined for 681 yards rushing and receiving in addition to two punt returns and two kick return touchdowns.
Hill was then taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Chiefs have nearly exclusively used Hill in their receiving corps. On December 22, 2019, Hill became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 4,000 career receiving yards. Hill continues to be among the top receivers in the league, totaling 15 touchdowns and 1,276 receiving yards while adding another two on the ground. He led the Chiefs in receiving yards in Super Bowl LIV with 105, en-route to his first Super Bowl victory.
During his freshman year with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Darwin Thompson rushed for 1,029 yards on 150 attempts, recording nine touchdowns along the way. In 2017, Thompson rushed for 1,391 yards and eight touchdowns, earning NJCAA Second Team All-America honors. His 2,420 career yards rank second all-time in NEO's illustrious history.
Thompson continued his collegiate career at Utah State for one season – rushing for 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns while collecting Second Team All-Mountain West honors. Thompson was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and has recorded three touchdowns in the last two seasons. The 2021 Super Bowl will be his second in as many years.
Butler (KS) alumnus Byron Pringle will be participating in his second consecutive Super Bowl after a solid sophomore campaign in the Chiefs' offense and special teams. Pringle led the Grizzlies in receiving touchdowns in 2015, hauling in a total of nine scores from 28 receptions for 432 yards. He recorded 631 yards his first season with Kansas State but saw limited playing time his final year in Manhattan.
Signing with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent, Pringle spent his first pro season in 2018 on the injury reserve. In 2019, Pringle was repositioned between the 53-man roster and practice squad several times before securing his regular spot with a breakout Week 5 performance where the Tampa native recorded 103 receiving yards and a touchdown. This season, Pringle added two more touchdowns to his stat line, including a 102-yard kick return in a Week 7 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Mike Pennel played NJCAA at Scottsdale (AZ). While with the Artichokes, Pennel recorded 71 total tackles, including 23 tackles for loss. Pennel also forced three fumbles in 18 games played. He was ranked the No. 6 junior college defensive tackle, and after a solid NJCAA career, eventually transferred to Colorado State-Pueblo.
Pennell signed with the Green Bay Packers for three seasons after going undrafted in 2014. Pennel then continued his career with the New York Jets for two seasons before making the move to Kansas City. He earned his first ring with the Chiefs last season and is in search of his second. His professional career totals amount to 155 combined tackles in 91 appearances.
Former Jones (MS) standout Damien Wilson collected a number of accolades in his time in Ellisville. In 2012, Wilson recorded 122 total tackles, leading the MACJC and fourth-best in the NJCAA, en route to collecting conference Defensive MVP honors as well as being named an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American. Continuing his career at Minnesota, Wilson collected All-Big Ten honors after leading the Golden Gophers in tackles (119) his senior season.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Wilson continued to improve at the professional level. Wilson has increased his defensive output each season, his first four with the Dallas Cowboys and most recently with the Chiefs. This season in Kansas City, Wilson has totaled 77 combined tackles and a forced fumble through the Chiefs' regular-season and two postseason contests. He wrapped up two tackles in the Super Bowl victory last season and will once again be a starting linebacker on the Chiefs' Super Bowl roster.
Charvarius Ward also played for Hinds (MS) in 2014 and 2015 and tallied 32 tackles with three interceptions his freshman season. During his sophomore campaign, Ward matched his number of tackles from a year prior before continuing his career at Middle Tennessee State. Ward recorded 74 tackles in two seasons in Murfreesboro.
After going undrafted in 2018, Ward initially signed with the Dallas Cowboys before being traded to the Chiefs. After a strong sophomore campaign that ultimately earned his first Super Bowl ring, Ward has played at a high level this season as one of the Chiefs' starting cornerbacks, gathering 64 tackles and seven passes deflected thus far.
A former First-Team All-Region and All-MACJC Most Valuable Lineman, Martinas Rankin will be attending his second Super Bowl in as many years with the Chiefs. Rankin got his start at Mississippi Gulf Coast where he was tabbed the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 5 overall player at the conclusion of his two years with the Bulldogs.
Rankin continued his collegiate career with Mississippi State University where he made an immediate impact. In his junior season, he was a vital member of an offensive that rushed for 3,000 yards and allowed the second-fewest sacks in the SEC. Rankin followed that up with a memorable senior campaign, earning first-team All-SEC honors, All-American Honorable Mention honors, and won the Kent Hull Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the state of Mississippi, among other accolades.
Rankin entered the 2018 NFL Draft as one of the top offensive linemen and was selected in the third round (80th overall) by the Houston Texans. After one season with the Texans, he was traded to the Chiefs where he was an immediate starter until missing time due to injury. Rankin is now back healthy and now serves as a backup offensive tackle.
A former No. 3 prospect, rookie Yasir Durant will be participating in his first Super Bowl. Durant is an alumnus of Arizona Western, where he played one season before receiving a medley of NCAA Division I offers, ultimately transferring to the University of Missouri. He proved durable in his time with the Tigers, starting 33 of the 34 games he played in.
Following the 2020 NFL Draft, Durant was picked up by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. Durant currently serves as a backup offensive guard.
Super Bowl LV kicks off on Sunday at 6:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on CBS.
