Hampton: The Small School Football Factory

Picture: WR Marquay McDaniel

Well no wonder Hampton finished the 2006 season 7-1 and won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. What a football powerhouse, they have a whopping five players selected to participate in the 2007 NFL Combine and all five will probably hear their names called in the 2007 NFL Draft.

1. Safety Travarous Bain, 6-0 175
A former Miami Hurricane, Bain joined the Pirates for the 2005 season and established himself as one of the top ranked cornerbacks in the country. He was a two-time selection to the All-MEAC First Team, picking off a team-high five passes and breaking up six others this past season. Bain is widely regarded as the top small school prospect in the nation and will be a hot commodity in this 2007 NFL Draft because of his blazing recovery speed.

2. LB Justin Durant, 6-2 230
Durant led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with 98 total tackles, including 65 solo stops. The senior linebacker from Florence, S.C., also had 13 tackles for loss, a sack, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery for a Pirate defense that allowed just 14.5 points per game (7th in NCAA).

3. RB Alonzo Coleman, 5-11 205
Despite carrying the ball a career-low 158 times due to injury, Coleman ran for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns to become just the sixth player in Division I Football Championship history to post four 1,000-yard seasons. He departs as the conference’s all-time leading rusher with 4,648 yards and 64 touchdowns.

4. WR Marquay McDaniel, 6-0 197
McDaniel isn't as well known as the top three here, but he is a speedy, sure handed receiver that can also return punts and kickoffs. The top receiver for Hampton, McDaniel hauled in 59 passes for 786 yards and 14 TDs.

5. WR Onrea Jones, 6-2 203
Jones doesn't quite have the stats as the other prospects here, but he has a huge upside, fine speed and NFL size. Jones hauled in 57 passes for 679 yards and 5 TDs.

Three of those players were also tagged to play in the 2007 East West Shrine game tonight (20 January): Justin Durant, Alonzo Coleman and Travarous Bain All three players will appear on the East squad which will be coached by Hall of Famer Don Shula.