The FCS has had hundreds of standout players move on to have special NFL careers, and a good number have made it to the NFL Hall of Fame. We decided to break down the “FCS-to-NFL” ranks by conference … leading up to a final national ranking of the top FCS products to finish a career in the NFL. We only ranked individuals who played for current FCS conference schools (no Appalachian States or Marshalls, for instance … and just because the player may have actually played D-2 football when they were in college, that doesn’t disqualify).
This ranking will be using the Pro Football Reference criteria for AV – “Approximate Value”, which uses an algorithm that measures a player’s statistics, honors, awards, you name it — on an annual basis dating back to 1960 when all of this statistical material was more easily attainable/tracked. It takes into account that an offensive lineman can’t put up stats like a quarterback, obviously, but an O-lineman with Pro Bowl credentials and being a cornerstone on a Super Bowl team will be rewarded too. Then … the annual points are added up to create a “career AV” which is a total reflecting the “Approximate Value” of a player’s career.
Obviously, Hall of Fame players do well in this rating, but you may be surprised at times at the rating given to a player who had a long career … with some true highlights … who did not make the Hall of Fame. It happens. See the list below.[divider]
TOP NFL CAREERS: Each Conference Linked
TOP NFL CAREERS – SOUTHLAND
(according to Pro-Football-Reference.com)
ABBREVIATIONS: PB — Career Pro Bowls; AV — site’s “Approximate Value” point system used by Pro Football Reference to quantify a player, based on statistics, honors, etc awarded by year back to 1960 – and taking position into consideration; YRS — Total years in the league
| RK | FCS SCHOOL | POS | PLAYER | PB | AV | YRS | SPAN | CAREER STATS |
| 1 | NORTHWESTERN ST. | TE | Jackie Smith (*) | 5 | 95 | 16 | 1963-1978 | 7,918 rec yds, 40 TDs |
| 2 | NORTHWESTERN ST. | WR | Mark Duper | 3 | 93 | 11 | 1982-1992 | 8,869 rec yds, 59 TDs |
| 3 | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | LB | Jeremiah Trotter | 4 | 87 | 11 | 1998-2009 | 914 tackles, 69 TFLs |
| 4 | ABILENE CHRISTIAN | RB | Wilbert Montgomery | 2 | 81 | 9 | 1977-1985 | 6,789 rush yds, 58 TDs |
| 5 | NORTHWESTERN ST. | QB | Bobby Hebert | 1 | 79 | 11 | 1985-1996 | 21,683 pass yds, 135 TDs |
| 6 | NICHOLLS | WR | Mark Carrier | 1 | 76 | 12 | 1987-1998 | 8,763 rec yds, 48 TDs |
| 7 | MCNEESE | DL | Tom Sestak | 4 | 72 | 7 | 1962-1968 | 96 career games |
| 8 | NORTHWESTERN ST. | WR | Charley Hennigan | 5 | 71 | 7 | 1960-1966 | 6,823 rec yds, 51 TDs |
| 9 | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | FB | Larry Centers | 3 | 67 | 14 | 1990-2003 | 8,985 total yds, 42 TDs |
| 10 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | DL | Michael Bankston | 0 | 60 | 9 | 1992-2000 | 622 tackles, 27 sacks |
| 11 | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | K | Mark Moseley | 2 | 57 | 16 | 1970-1986 | 300 career FGs |
| 12t. | MCNEESE | DB | Dick Harris | 1 | 56 | 6 | 1960-1965 | 29 career INTs |
| 12t. | NICHOLLS | DB | Gary Barbaro | 3 | 56 | 7 | 1976-1982 | 39 career INTs |
| 14 | MCNEESE | DB | Leonard Smith | 0 | 55 | 9 | 1983-1991 | 120 career starts |
| 15t. | NORTHWESTERN ST. | DB-KR | Terrence McGee | 1 | 54 | 10 | 2003-2012 | 532 tackles, 26.3 KR avg |
| 15t. | CENT. ARKANSAS | LB | Monte Coleman | 0 | 54 | 16 | 1979-1994 | 1,002 career tackles |
| 17t. | LAMAR | OL | Wayne Moore | 1 | 51 | 9 | 1970-1978 | 98 career games |
| 17t. | NORTHWESTERN ST. | LB | Gary Reasons | 0 | 51 | 9 | 1984-1992 | 134 career ganes |
| 19 | SE LOUISIANA | LB | Billy Andrews | 0 | 49 | 11 | 1967-1977 | 142 career games |
| 20 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | QB | Josh McCown | 0 | 47 | 17 | 2002-2019 | 17,731 pass yds, 98 TDs |
| 21 | CENT. ARKANSAS | WR | Willie Davis | 0 | 46 | 8 | 1991-1998 | 4,503 rec yds, 33 TDs |
| 22 | ABILENE CHRISTIAN | DB-KR | Danieal Manning | 0 | 44 | 9 | 2006-2014 | 551 tackles, 26.1 KR avg |
| 23 | NICHOLLS | LB | Johnny Meads | 0 | 43 | 9 | 1984-1992 | 119 career games |
| 24 | NICHOLLS | DB | Lardarius Webb | 0 | 42 | 9 | 2009-2017 | 467 career tackles |
| 25 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | DB | Jimmy Hill | 3 | 40 | 11 | 1955-1966 | 20 career INTs |
(*) – Denotes an NFL Hall of Famer
SOUTHLAND – TOP CURRENT NFL PLAYERS
ABBREVIATIONS: PB — Career Pro Bowls; AV — site’s “Approximate Value” point system used by Pro Football Reference to quantify a player, based on statistics, honors, etc and taking position into consideration; YRS — Total years in the league
| RK | FCS SCHOOL | POS | PLAYER | PB | AV | YRS | SPAN | CAREER STATS |
| 1 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | QB | Josh McCown | 0 | 47 | 17 | 2002-2019 | 17,731 pass yds, 98 TDs |
| 2 | ABILENE CHRISTIAN | WR | Taylor Gabriel | 0 | 27 | 6 | 2014-2019 | 2,860 rec yds, 14 TDs |
| 3 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | P | Lac Edwards | 0 | 9 | 4 | 2016-2019 | 45.9 career punt avg. |
| 4 | SAM HOUSTON ST. | DT | P.J. Hall | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2018-2019 | 30 games, 48 tackles |
| 5 | CENT. ARKANSAS | DB | George Odum | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2018-2019 | 32 games, 74 tackles |
