Draft Scout Samford Player News, College Football: Samford

2023 CFB/2024-2027 Draft Scout

- Draft Scout Front Page - 2024 NFL Draft Tracker/Results - 2024 Pro Timing Days/Results - 2024 Pro Timing Day Risers by Position - 2024 Pro Timing Day Fallers by Position - 2024 NFL Combine - Josh Buchanan's 2024 Top 100 Small School Prospects - End of Season Risers - End of Season Fallers - 2024 NFL Draft Underclassmen - 2024 Senior Bowl - 2024 East-West Shrine - 2024 Hula Bowl - 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl - 2023 CFB Bowl Games/Playoffs - CFB Player News & Notes 12/03 Final CFB Playoff Top 12
- #1 Michigan - #2 Washington - #3 Texas - #4 Alabama - #5 Florida State - #6 Georgia - #7 Ohio State - #8 Oregon - #9 Missouri - #10 Penn State - #11 Mississippi - #12 Oklahoma - 2023-2027 FBS/FCS Team Lists/Rosters - CFB's Best Player Names By Year/Position - Draft Scout Player Directory A-Z - Players by School/College List A-Z - Draft Scout Rokfin Football Channel - Draft Scout Weekly - Phil Steele/Draft Scout - Contact Draft Scout Player Rankings by Conference: -ACC- | -American Athletic- | -Big 12- | -Big Ten- | -Conference USA- | -Independent- | -Mid-American- | -Mountain West- | -Pac-12- | -SEC- | -Sun Belt-

NFL Draft Scout History

- 1997 Coach Bill Walsh Draft Insider (First/Early NFL Draft Scout) - 2023 NFL Draft Tracker/Results - 2023 Undrafted by Position - 2023 Pro Timing Days/Results - 2023 Pro Timing Day Risers by Position - Draft Scout Evolve: Player Rating Changes - 2023 NFL Combine - Draft Scout CFB Risers - Draft Scout CFB Fallers - 2023 NFL Draft Underclassmen - 2023-26 #1 Georgia Bulldogs - 2023-26 #3 TCU Horned Frogs - 2022-23 CFB Bowl Schedule - EA College Football Game Pushed Back to 2024 - CFB Schedule/Roster/News Links - CFB Player Injury News & Notes - CFB Injuries by Year/Position

2022 Draft Scout

- 2022 NFL Draft Tracker - 2022 Pro Timing Days/Results - 2022 Pro Timing Day Risers by Position - 2022 NFL Combine/Results - 2022 NFL Combine Risers by Position - 2022 NFL Draft Underclassmen - 2021 Draft Scout Top 100

Draft Scout by Conference

2023 Draft Scout Offense

2023 Draft Scout Defense

2022 Draft Scout Offense

2022 Draft Scout Defense

Draft Scout College Football Player News: Samford

Previous 15 Notes

Next 15 Notes

09/28/21 - Liam Welch, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

SEPT 27 STATS PERFORM FCS NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liam Welch, Samford, QB, Grad, 6-2, 208, Augusta, Georgia,...Welch set Southern Conference records for passing yards (582) and total offensive yards (655) in a 55-48 overtime loss to then-No. 15 ETSU. He also set school records for completions (56) and attempts (73), a 76.7 percent accuracy that included three touchdowns and one interception against a defense that had allowed an average of only 7.7 points in its first three games. Welch rushed for 73 yards on 10 carries and scored on a two-point conversion.

Honorable Mention: Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington; Grant Breneman, QB, Colgate; Korey Bridy, RB/PK, VMI; Jack Chambers, QB, Charleston Southern; Jack Cook, QB, Dayton; Cameron Crayton, WR, Georgetown; Tim DeMorat, QB, Fordham; Westin Elliott, QB, Merrimack; Felix Harper, QB, Alcorn State; Geno Hess, RB, Eastern Kentucky; Quay Holmes, RB, ETSU; Keon Howard, QB, UT Martin; Tyler Hudson, WR, Central Arkansas; Isaiah Ifanse, RB, Montana State; Ryan McDaniel, WR, North Carolina Central; Eric Schmid, QB, Sam Houston; Lindsey Scott, QB, Nicholls; Jason Shelley, QB, Missouri State; Rogan Wells, QB, Western Carolina. - STATS FCS Football

rSr/2022

QB Liam Welch, Samford
News Source: STATS FCS Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/28/21 - Liam Welch, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

Samford's Liam Welch threw for 582 yards and had 655 yards of total offense against East Tennessee State, the highest totals in the Championship Subdivision in eight years. The last FCS player to put up those kinds of numbers was Stephen F. Austin's Brady Attaway, who threw for 662 yards and, with minus-7 yards rushing, had 655 in total offense against Prairie View in 2013. - AP College Football

rSr/2022

QB Liam Welch, Samford
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/23/21 - DeMarcus Ware, Sr/2022, Samford + More +

SEPT 20 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DeMarcus Ware, Sr., RB, Samford, Olive Branch, Miss.,...Samford running back DeMarcus Ware ran 26 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 42-37 win at Western Carolina on Saturday. The senior from Olive Branch, Mississippi, scored the first two touchdowns of the day, the first on a 44-yard run and the second on a 4-yard scamper to make it a 14-0 game at the end of the first quarter. Ware added his third score of the day with 6:27 left in the game, scoring on another 4-yard run. Ware also caught three passes for 11 yards. Other nominees: Raleigh Webb (The Citadel), Quay Holmes (ETSU), Ailym Ford (Chattanooga), Korey Bridy (VMI) and Rogan Wells (Western Carolina). - SoCon Football

Sr/2022

RB DeMarcus Ware, Samford
News Source: SoCon Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/18/21 - DeMarcus Ware, Sr/2022, Samford + More +

DeMarcus Ware ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns, including the deciding score with 6:28 left in the game as Samford held off a second-half comeback by Western Carolina to earn a 42-37 victory in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Saturday. Ware ran 44 yards for the game's first score, then scored from the 4 on the final play of the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead. Liam Welch threw 33 yards to Montrell Washington in the second quarter to push the Samford lead to 20-3. The Catamounts (0-3) scored four straight touchdowns, two on touchdown passes from Rogan Wells and a third when Western Carolina sacked Welch in the end zone early in the third quarter. Wells found Calvin Jones with a 52-yard score with 4:23 left to get within a touchdown of the lead. Welch was 27 of 48 for 352 yards and a touchdown but was picked off four times for Samford (2-1). Wells was 25 of 56 for Western Carolina and had three touchdowns to go with three interceptions. He carried 16 times for 120 yards. - AP College Football

Sr/2022

RB DeMarcus Ware, Samford
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/10/21 - Montrell Washington, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

SEPT 6 SOCON FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Montrell Washington, Sr., WR/KR, Samford, Canton, Ga.,...Samford wide receiver/kick returner Montrell Washington returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown as part of an incredible all-around performance in the Bulldogs' 52-14 win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday. The senior from Canton, Georgia, had three punt returns for 69 yards (23 yards per return) and added 22 yards on a pair of kickoff returns (11 yards per return). Washington also caught seven passes for 128 yards and rushed once for 26 yards to total 245 all-purpose yards on the day, the second-most of the FCS week. Washington's play also netted him Stats Perform National Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Other nominees: Tyler Keltner (ETSU), Timmy Bleekrode (Furman), Devin Folser (Mercer), Gabe Boring (Chattanooga), Jerry Rice (VMI), Richard McCollum (Western Carolina) and Atkins Roberts (Wofford). - Southern Conference Football

rSr/2022

WR Montrell Washington, Samford
News Source: Southern Conference Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/07/21 - Montrell Washington, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

SEPT 6 STATS FCS NATIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Montrell Washington, Samford, WR/RS, R-Sr., 5-10, 170, Canton, Georgia,...Washington went 62 yards for a touchdown on his first punt return of the season, part of a huge all-around performance in Samford's 52-14 triumph over Tennessee Tech. His 245 all-purpose yards were the second-most of the FCS week, coming on three punt returns for 69 yards, two kickoff returns for 22 yards, seven receptions for 128 yards and one carry for 26 yards. Honorable Mention: Brady Buell, P, Houston Baptist; Cole Bunce, PK, Villanova; Grant Burke, P, Missouri State; Brandon Codrington, PR, North Carolina Central; Jake Gerardi, P, Southern Utah; Isaiah Gomez, PK, UC Davis; Max Quick, P, Stephen F. Austin; Rashid Shaheed, KR, Weber State. - STATS FCS Football

rSr/2022

WR Montrell Washington, Samford
News Source: STATS FCS Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/02/21 - Liam Welch, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

Liam Welch threw four touchdown passes as Samford rolled to a 52-14 victory over Tennessee Tech in the season opener for both teams on Thursday night. Welch, the Southern Conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, was 33-of-44 passing for 370 yards. Montrell Washington made eight catches for 170 yards receiving, and he scored on a 62-yard punt return in the first quarter.

David Gist's 3-yard touchdown run pulled Tennessee Tech to 17-14 with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter before the Bulldogs scored on their next five drives. Welch threw touchdown passes between a scoring run each from DeMarcus Ware and Jay Stanton from inside the 10. Samford, which finished fourth in the nation averaging 40.3 points during the spring season, put up 475 yards of offense against the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech's Davis Shanley completed 19 of 34 passes for 159 yards including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Justin Oden. Gist finished with 72 yards rushing on 17 carries. - AP College Football/Samford Football

rSr/2022

QB Liam Welch, Samford
News Source: AP College Football/Samford Football
Share/Comment: Here

05/08/21 - Tyrese Ross, rSr/2024, Samford + More +

Tyrese Ross has seen the clip ad nauseum. Asked by a reporter about a play in a 2019 game between Washington State and Houston, Ross' memory refers back toward that day in Pullman, Washington. Then in his freshman year at Washington State, Ross soared down the field on a kickoff, squared his shoulders and crunched Cougars kick returner Bryson Smith, giving off a sound closer to a car wreck than plastic pads crunching together. "You can definitely say aggressiveness," Ross said of how he would characterize his strengths. "But my game is more versatility - being able to be a vocal leader, play multiple positions and make sure our defense is on the same unit."

Monday, Ross announced his decision to transfer from Washington State to South Carolina via Twitter. A hard-hitting safety by nature, he'll bring a bruising but tempered presence to a Gamecock secondary in desperate need of playmakers. Rated the No. 1,187 player and the No. 95 safety in the 2018 class, Ross held a slew of Group of Five offers along with opportunities at UCLA, Mississippi State, Kansas, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. After initially committing to Mississippi State, he backed off that pledge. - Rock Hill Herald

rSr/2024

SS Tyrese Ross, Samford
News Source: Rock Hill Herald
Share/Comment: Here

03/09/21 - DaMonta Witherspoon, rSr/2025, Samford + More +

MARCH 8 OVC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Damonta Witherspoon, RB, 5-10, 206, Fr., East St. Louis, Mo., Murray State,...Witherspoon carried the ball 22 times for 108 yards as Murray State knocked off No. 16 Southeast Missouri, the first win over a ranked opponent since 2018, the first road win over a ranked opponent since 2017 and first win at SEMO since 2011. Witherspoon averaged 4.9 yards/game and had a long run of 35 yards which came in the first quarter and setup a MSU touchdown two plays later. Others Nominated: Matt Judd, Eastern Illinois; Nicario Harper, Jacksonville State; Devon Starling, Tennessee State; Chrishun, UT Martin. - Ohio Valley Conference Football

rSr/2025

RB DaMonta Witherspoon, Samford
News Source: Ohio Valley Conference Football
Share/Comment: Here

03/01/21 - Liam Welch, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

MARCH 1 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liam Welch, Samford, Sr., QB, Augusta, Ga.,...Samford quarterback Liam Welch accounted for five touchdowns and turned in his first career 300-yard passing day as the Bulldogs dropped Western Carolina 55-27 on Saturday. The senior from Augusta, Georgia, was 26-for-36 through the air for 311 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 18 times for 83 yards and three scores in finishing with 394 yards of total offense. In all, Welch completed seven passes of 20 yards or more and led the Bulldogs on eight touchdown drives for their first win of the season. Other nominees: Cooper Wallach (The Citadel), Carter Peevy (Mercer), Reginald Henderson (Chattanooga), Reece Udinski (VMI) and Ryan Glover (Western Carolina). - Southern Conference Football

rSr/2022

QB Liam Welch, Samford
News Source: Southern Conference Football
Share/Comment: Here

02/27/21 - Liam Welch, rSr/2022, Samford + More +

Liam Welch threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more in leading Samford to a 55-27 victory over Western Carolina on Saturday. Welch was 26-of-36 passing for 311 yards and rushed for 83 yards on 18 carries. Jay Stanton had 135 yards and a score on 23 carries. Ryan Glover threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted twice as Western Carolina (0-5, 0-2) dropped its second spring game after losing three nonconference games in the fall. The Bulldogs (1-1, 1-1 Southern Conference) led 21-20 at halftime then scored on their first three possessions of the third quarter on short touchdown runs by Dakota Chapman and Welch. Welch threw a 31-yard pass to A.J. Toney and added another short TD run early in the fourth. He had a 24-yard rushing score and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Watson in the first half. Samford had 630 yards offense. Samford leads the series with the Catamounts 15-3 and has won the last nine meetings on its home turf. - Samford/AP College Football

rSr/2022

QB Liam Welch, Samford
News Source: Samford/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

01/21/21 - Tyrese Ross, rSr/2024, Samford + More +

After appearing in just one game this season and missing three others for reasons that were undisclosed, Washington State safety Tyrese Ross has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Ross announced his decision to transfer on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon and indicated he'll be playing elsewhere this fall. Entering the shortened 2020 season, Ross was projected to start at safety for the Cougars, but he didn't travel with the team to the season opener at Oregon State. Ross started at strong safety in the next game, versus Oregon at Martin Stadium, and was credited with two tackles, but he didn't travel with the Cougars in the final two games of the season, at USC and Utah. - Spokesman-Review

rSr/2024

SS Tyrese Ross, Samford
News Source: Spokesman-Review
Share/Comment: Here

01/15/21 - Nik Scalzo, rSr/2024, Samford + More +

The University of Kentucky football program's need to tap the transfer portal for a quarterback appeared to go away on Thursday. Nik Scalzo, a former three-star recruit who's spent the last two seasons with the Wildcats, entered the NCAA's transfer portal last week but has withdrawn his name from the portal, the school confirmed to the Herald-Leader. He will be permitted to rejoin the football team and will retain his scholarship. NCAA rules governing the transfer portal allow schools to reserve the right to refuse aid and/or spots on the roster if a player enters the portal and then later withdraws their name from the portal. UK head coach Mark Stoops and Scalzo came to an "unprecedented" agreement regarding his entry into the portal. - Herald Leader

rSr/2024

QB Nik Scalzo, Samford
News Source: Herald Leader
Share/Comment: Here

01/07/21 - Nik Scalzo, rSr/2024, Samford + More +

Kentucky backup quarterback Nik Scalzo has entered the transfer portal. Scalzo, who was one of three quarterbacks showcased in season three of the Netflix show QB1 during his senior year of high school, did not play for Kentucky this season while rehabbing a torn ACL. On Tuesday, Scalzo tweeted a highlight video of his work on the UK scout team in practice as evidence he has returned to full health.

A former three-star recruit, Scalzo was showcased by "QB1: Under the Lights" as a senior at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. His senior season ended with a torn ACL in the state playoffs. The day after the show aired on Netflix in Aug. 2019, Scalzo tore the ACL in his knee for a second time during a scrimmage during his first preseason camp at Kentucky. - Courier Journal

rSr/2024

QB Nik Scalzo, Samford
News Source: Courier Journal
Share/Comment: Here

09/05/20 - J.R. Tran-Reno, Sr/2023, Samford + More +

Redshirt freshman J.R. Tran-Reno, a versatile running back seemingly fit for Vanderbilt's new offense, has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Tran-Reno announced his decision on Twitter on Wednesday, just over three weeks until the Commodores' season opener against No. 13 Texas A&M on Sept. 26. "After much prayer and consideration, my family and I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal," Tran-Reno posted. "Nothing but respect and love for my teammates and coaches at Vanderbilt. I wish my boys the best this year and years to come!" Tran-Reno, a three-star prospect and 2017 Alabama Mr. Football finalist, signed with Vanderbilt in the 2019 class as an athlete by position. At Briarwood Christian in Birmingham, Alabama, he racked up more than 4,000 yards and 54 touchdowns as a rusher, receiver and passer. But he never played a game at Vanderbilt. - The Tennessean

Sr/2023