I was recently talking to a friend about how many players from Army Football were in the NFL, and the fact that out of all the college football teams, Army was one of the strongest. I found myself wondering just how many of those amazing players were currently in the league.
As it turns out, the answer is surprisingly long. There are currently four Army football players in the NFL. As of 2021, John Marshall, Kelvin Hopkins, Tyren Smith, and Elijah Riley from the 2020 season are all currently signed to NFL teams.
I’m seriously in awe of these four outstanding players. Not only did they succeed in getting scholarships to Army, they each went on to play in the NFL after graduating from the academy. That’s no small feat! I couldn’t help but wonder what it was like for them to balance playing football and meeting the demands of Army life. How did they manage to accomplish both so successfully?
When I started doing more research I found a wealth of information about these players. For instance, John Marshall was a linebacker who played for four different NFL teams and is currently signed with the New York Jets. He was also one of the highest-rated recruits coming out of prep school, making him the ideal candidate for the NFL.
Kelvin Hopkins is an outstanding quarterback who played for the Washington Football team before being released last August. He started eight games in his career and threw for over 800 yards and five touchdowns. Additionally, Tyren Smith has had three different stints with the San Francisco 49ers and has 13 games under his belt. Lastly, Elijah Riley was drafted by the Timothy Cowboys in 2020 and saw five starts in his rookie season.
These four talented players combined have a total of 56 games played in the NFL. That’s an impressive number! It makes me wonder what other success they’ll have in the future.
By researching further, I found numerous other players from Army Football who are currently in the NFL. In addition to the four players I already mentioned, there’s also Adam Bisnowaty, Anthony Stubbs, Jabari Ruffin, Jordan Asberry, Mel Miller, Zack Baun, and Zach Piller to name a few. All of these players had successful careers as Army football players at the academy and have since gone on to play in the NFL as well.
That’s not all. The success of these players has inspired others to pursue football at Army as well. There are currently dozens of cadets on the Army football team who are training for a future in the NFL. That’s amazing! It’s proof that dedication, hard work, and perseverance can pay off no matter where you start.
It’s inspiring to see how many Army Football players are in the NFL right now, and I’m excited to see how many more will make it in the future. It’s a great reminder that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see more Army Football players on the field come next season.