BY RALPH VENTRE
The 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year wasn’t a first round draft pick, nor did he compete for a Division I Power 5 college program.
In his fifth pro season out of the FCS ranks, Eastern Washington (Big Sky Conference) alumni Cooper Kupp led the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1947) and touchdown catches (16), while breaking the Los Angeles Rams franchise records, which were set by Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Isaac Bruce in 1995.
A third round pick by the Rams (69th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft, Kupp will make the second Super Bowl appearance of his career when the NFC Champions take on the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday, February 13th on their home turf at SoFi Stadium.
Although he’s one of the most-recognizable names in Super Bowl LVI (especially to fantasy football players), Kupp is not the only ‘Big Game’ participant with college ties to the DI Football Championship Subdivision.
The Rams’ roster features nine FCS products, including four active players.
In addition to Kupp, defensive lineman Mike Hoecht (Brown) and linebacker Troy Reeder (Delaware) played in all 17 regular season games for Los Angeles during the 2021 season.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom (South Dakota State) appeared in nine regular season games for the Rams after being claimed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad in November.
All three, Hoecht (2020), Reeder (2019) and Rozeboom (2020) initially entered the NFL as undrafted free agents.
Cornerback Robert Rochell (Central Arkansas) and offensive tackle Jamil Demby (Maine) are both on the Rams’ injured reserve list but the former has been ‘designated to return.’
Three members of the Rams’ practice squad also have FCS roots.
Wide receiver JJ Koski (Cal Poly), cornerback Kareem Orr (Chattanooga) and defensive end Jonah Williams (Weber State) all went undrafted before eventually finding a home in Los Angeles as developmental players.
The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t farmed the fertile grounds of the FCS nearly as much as their Super Bowl opponent but they haven’t completely ignored them either.
Four current Bengals, including one on the active roster, played collegiately in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Nose tackle Zach Kerr (Delaware), an eight-year NFL veteran, joined Cincinnati as a depth piece after being claimed off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad prior to the AFC Divisional Round. Kerr, who has 95 career NFL appearances, played in the road victories over the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Three Bengals’ practice squad players – all on the defensive side of the ball – hail from the FCS. Cornerback John Brannon (Western Carolina) and linebacker Austin Calitro (Villanova) both took the UDFA route into the NFL. The latter was active for five regular season games in 2021.
Cincinnati defensive end Noah Spence (Eastern Kentucky), who was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, totaled five tackles in two games this season. He was active in Weeks 16 and 18.
Of the aforementioned FCS players, Kupp has enjoyed the most success at the NFL level, despite not being viewed as a ‘top prospect’ coming out for the draft.
As a member of Eastern Washington, Kupp flashed star potential right from the start of his collegiate career, winning the 2013 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the top FCS freshman.
The four-year Eagles starter set the FCS career record for receptions (428), receiving yards (6,464) and touchdown receptions (73). As a junior, Kupp won the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award, which is the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Current FCS programs have produced some of the sport’s all-time greats. Hall of Famer members such as Walter Payton (Jackson State) and Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) both competed collegiately for HBCU programs.
The subdivision formerly known as Division I-AA, which currently features 126 schools, was represented by more than 130 players on NFL Opening Day Rosters in 2021 (according to FCSInsider.com).
Only four of the 13 FCS products on Super Bowl LXVI rosters heard their names called in the NFL Draft – Spence (2nd Round), Kupp (3rd Round), Rochell (4th Round) and Demby (6th Round).
LOS ANGELES RAMS’ FCS PLAYERS (9)
Mike Hoecht, DL (#96)
College: Brown
Draft Position: UDFA – 2020
Roster Status: ACTIVE
Jamil Demby, OT (#64)
College: Maine
Draft Position: 6th Round (192nd overall) – 2018
Roster Status: IR
JJ Koski, WR (#17)
College: Cal Poly
Draft Position: UDFA – 2020
Roster Status: Practice Squad
Cooper Kupp, WR (#10)
College: Eastern Washington
Draft Position: 3rd Round (66th overall) – 2017
Roster Status: ACTIVE
Kareem Orr, CB (#35)
College: Chattanooga
Draft Position: UDFA – 2019
Roster Status: Practice Squad
Troy Reeder, LB (#51)
College: Delaware
Draft Position: UDFA – 2019
Roster Status: ACTIVE
Robert Rochell, CB (#31)
College: Central Arkansas
Draft Position: 4th Round (130th overall) – 2021
Roster Status: IR (designated to return)
Christian Rozeboom, LB (#56)
College: South Dakota State
Draft Position: UDFA – 2020
Roster Status: ACTIVE
Jonah Williams, DL (#92)
College: Weber State
Draft Position: UDFA – 2020
Roster Status: Practice Squad
CINCINNATI BENGALS’ FCS PLAYERS (4)
John Brannon, CB (#39)
College: Western Carolina
Draft Position: UDFA – 2020
Roster Status: Practice Squad
Austin Calitro, LB (#48)
College: Villanova
Draft Position: UDFA – 2017
Roster Status: Practice Squad
Zach Kerr, NT (#69)
College: Delaware
Draft Position: UDFA – 2014
Roster Status: ACTIVE
Noah Spence, DE (#52)
College: Eastern Kentucky
Draft Position: 2nd Round (39th overall) – 2016
Roster Status: Practice Squad
TALKING PIGSKIN 
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