The Florida A&M trio of Jeremy Musa, Terrell Jennings, Marcus Riley and Isaiah Majors will showcase their talents at the highest level of football.
The former Rattler standout earned a rookie minicamp invite after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Musa (quarterback) signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jennings (running back) is headed to the New England Patriots. Riley (wide receiver) plays for the New York Jets. Major (linebacker) has signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints.
The FAMU players' NFL invitation comes four months after their final season of college football, in which they captured the Rattlers' first Southwestern Athletic Conference and Celebration Bowl championships in program history.
They also attended FAMU's Pro Day last March in front of 12 NFL scouts.
After the 2023 season, Musa was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and the recipient of the Deacon Jones Trophy, given to the top player in HBCU football. Musa, who transferred from Vanderbilt to FAMU in 2022, is the first Rattler player to earn this honor.
As a rattler, Musa had a 58 completion percentage, 5,625 passing yards, 47 total touchdowns and 20 interceptions in two seasons.
“Congratulations, [Moussa]” former FAMU head coach and current Duke running backs coach Willie Simmons said in a post on X/Twitter. “Be intentionally great.”
In 2023, Jennings re-emerged as FAMU's starting running back, rushing for 673 yards and 10 touchdowns. He won the 2023 Florida Classic Most Valuable Player Award.
Jennings, who arrived at FAMU as a true freshman in 2019, rushed for 1,754 yards and 25 total touchdowns.
Riley, a Tallahassee native who attended Rickards High School, earned All-SWAC Second Team honors during the Rattlers' championship appearance.
In his only year at FAMU after transferring from Bethune-Cookman, Riley totaled 34 catches, 584 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. He also returned the season-opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown against Jackson State in the 2023 Orange Blossom Classic.
“It's official. Pine Ridge, Rick High [Riley] Mission accomplished,” Devin Lispres, former FAMU director of recruiting and current member of the Colorado football staff, said in a Facebook post. “I'm so proud of this kid that I get emotional. Tallahassee, let's celebrate this accomplishment.”
Major, a junior college product, arrived at FAMU in 2022. He won his SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and Celebration Bowl Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his two-season stint with the Rattlers with 114 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, six sacks and two interceptions.
The Buccaneers, head coached by Todd Bowles, won the NFC South Championship last season and advanced to the Wild Card Round. Head coach Dennis Allen's Saints finished as runners-up in the NFC South.
Led by Robert Saleh, the Jets just posted a 7-10 record in 2023 after star QB Aaron Rodgers' season was derailed by a torn Achilles tendon in the season opener.
FAMU has three graduates with active NFL contracts: Mark Keith Bell (Dallas Cowboys), Isaiah Land (Indianapolis Colts) and Xavier Smith (Los Angeles Rams).
Brandon Hepburn was the last FAMU player selected in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Twelve players from the Football Championship Subdivision were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, no HBCU players had their names called.
Gerald Thomas III covers Florida A&M University athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach him by email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as his Twitter. @3peatgee.
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