SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Nine former Southern Conference football players signed free-agent deals with National Football League teams Saturday night following the 2012 NFL Draft.
Elon offensive lineman Rodney Austin signed with the Detroit Lions, while Wofford wide receiver Brenton Berson inked with a deal with the Carolina Panthers. Three former Paladins signed Saturday night as Ryan Steed (New York Jets), Ryan Lee (Pittsburgh) and Kadarron Anderson (New Orleans) all joined teams. Appalachian State's Travaris Cadet will join Anderson in New Orleans, while former Mountaineer quarterback DeAndre Pressley signed with the San Diego Chargers. The Saints also inked former Citadel Bulldog Kevin Hardy and Georgia Southern's Laron Scott.
Austin becomes the fourth Phoenix player in the last three seasons to get a shot at the NFL.
Austin's senior season was limited to just three games due to an injury, but he was a preseason All-America pick as well as a preseason first-team All-Southern Conference selection prior to the 2011 season. Following his junior season Austin was named a first-team all-league member by the coaches and was a third-team All-America choice by Phil Steele. In his four seasons in the maroon and gold Austin appeared in 30 games, making 18 starts.
Steed, a 5-foot-11, 190 pound product from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., was named to AFCA, Associated Press, Sports Network, and SportsMadness All-America teams following the 2011 season and played in 2012 Senior Bowl. An NFL Combine invitee, he totaled 46 tackles, four interceptions, and four pass deflections in a 2011 campaign that also featured a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Elon. The three-time All-SoCon selection finished his Paladin tenure with 180 tackles and tallied 38 passes defensed and 14 interceptions, the third and fourth best marks, respectively, in Paladin football history. He returned three pickoffs for touchdowns, forced four fumbles, recovered three fumbles, recorded a sack, and blocked three kicks in his career. He is a health sciences major.
Lee, who measured 6-foot-3, 309 pounds at Furman's pro day this spring, earned first team All-SoCon honors in 2011 after starting in all 11 games, including 10 at right tackle and one at left guard. His strong play, which included a season high 89 percent blocking grade in a 26-21 win over fifth-ranked Wofford and 82 percent mark in a 20-10 triumph over third-ranked Appalachian State, helped pave the way for All-SoCon teammate Jerodis Williams, who rushed for 1,055 yards and nine touchdowns to become the first Paladin 1,000-yard rusher since 2003. A four-year letterman and three-year starter who registered playing time in 39 games and registered 1,641 snaps and 27 starts, he was selected to play in the 2012 AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif., in January. The Carrollton, Ga., product graduated in December with a degree in health sciences.
Anderson, a 6-foot-1, 234-pound product of Greenwood, S.C., and three-time All-SoCon pick, paced the league in tackles in the 2011 regular season with 111 stops, an average of 11.1 per game, despite missing the season finale against Florida due to a knee injury. The three-year starter tallied 372 stops, including 21 for-loss, in his 44-game Paladin tenure, the 13th-highest tackle total in Furman history. He was named to the College Sporting News FCS Fabulous Fifty All-America Team after capturing AFCA and Associated Press All-America accolades in December. He also played in the 2012 AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif., in January.
Bersin, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., caught 26 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns in 2011. He also had twelve carries for 169 yards and returned five punts. At The Citadel he returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown, which was the fourth longest in school history.
In his career, he is fifth in school history with 1,567 receiving yards. Bersin is tied for third in school history with 15 touchdown receptions. In the 2010 season, he had 32 receptions for 703 yards and nine touchdowns. The 703 yards were the third most in a single season in school history, while the nine touchdowns tied the school record mark held by Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
Cadet and Presley are among the most versatile and explosive players in Appalachian history. Both played multiple positions during their collegiate careers with Cadet seeing time at running back, wide receiver and quarterback and Presley playing quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback. Cadet is expected to play running back for the Saints while Presley is tabbed as a corner for the Chargers. Both are also likely to contribute on special teams, perhaps as kickoff and punt returners, roles that both held at ASU.
Cadet, who played three seasons at Appalachian after transferring from Pearl River (Miss.) C.C. in 2009, was a two-time all-Southern Conference running back and also earned all-conference recognition once as a return specialist. The Miami, Fla. native racked up 3,929 all-purpose yards and 1,929 yards of total offense during his three-year ASU career, including 1,688 rushing yards and 1,376 kickoff return yards (good for fifth in school history).
Presley is best known for his electrifying junior campaign as Appalachian's starting quarterback, when he became one of only 13 players in NCAA Division I history (and just the fourth in Division I FCS) to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year and placed third in voting for the 2010 Walter Payton Award (nation's top FCS player) following his scintillating junior season but made just five starts at quarterback as a senior before suffering a shoulder injury and losing the starting assignment to sophomore Jamal Jackson. Presley unselfishly bounced back to become a key contributor down the stretch for the Mountaineers on offense (wide receiver, quarterback), defense (cornerback) and special teams (kickoff and punt returns and coverage units).
Hardy played four seasons for the Bulldogs and saw action in 40 games, including all 33 the past three years. As a senior last fall, the Ocala, Fla., native ranked sixth in the Southern Conference with an average of 24.4 yards per kickoff return while also making four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown and rushing six times for 101 yards. His 716 all-purpose yards were the second most on the team.
As a sophomore in 2009, Hardy caught 14 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown while also averaging 21.7 per kickoff return.
Hardy also starred on The Citadel track and field team, winning the SoCon indoor and outdoor long jump titles in 2009 and repeating as the indoor champion in 2010. At the conference outdoor meet in April 2010, he came less than an inch from claiming a fourth league crown in the event.
Scott set a Georgia Southern record with 2,257 career kickoff return yards and posted two seasons of 1,000 plus return yards. Scott averaged 30.6 yards per return last year and ranked third in the FCS. He also scored a pair of 90-yard touchdowns in the return game and posted a career-high 99 yard return in the season opener at Samford.
The senior started every game of his career at cornerback and was a part of two FCS semifinal appearances. In 14 starts last year, Scott posted 53 tackles and a team-best three interceptions. The Warner Robins, Ga., native finished his three-year career in Statesboro with 40 starts and 12 interceptions.