‘Here to compete.’ For small-school guys, the Senior Bowl levels the playing field
Devin Voison was unsure if he would get a Senior Bowl invite.
The South Alabama receiver had attended the festivities for the past five years, yet when the invitation hadn’t arrived a week from the opening news conference, he paid it no mind and went back to training. Then came the call.
“It’s indescribable,” Voison said, recalling how he received a FaceTime from Senior Bowl executive director Jack Gilmore. He was nervous. His hands began to sweat. “He gave me that invite. I held it together on the phone but as soon as he hung up, I broke down.”
Voison is one of the many small-school prospects who will use the Senior Bowl to show that they belong on the big stage. Sure, guys from Texas, Ohio State and Alabama will likely command most of the initial attention, yet that won’t stop John Carroll’s Tyren Montgomery, Florida International’s Kejon Owens or Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker, all of whom will attempt to steal the spotlight.
“I’m just coming out here to compete with the best of the best and being able to show that I can play at any other level against any type of talent,” said Owens, a tailback who ran for 1,334 yards and 11 touchdowns during his final season for the Panthers.
Take Georgia State’s Ted Hurst, for example. The wide receiver transferred from Valdosta State in 2024 and made an immediate impact. During the next two seasons, he caught 127 balls for 1,965 yards and 15 touchdowns. Hurst even set a school record with nine touchdowns as a junior.
Unfortunately, Hurst’s senior season did not go as planned. The 6-3 prospect had a great year individually, leading the team in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns, yet the Panthers went 1-11. He, however, arrived in Mobile with the intent to showcase that he’s more than just a dynamic playmaker.
“You don’t want to be a one-dimensional guy,” Hurst said. “I want to be a valuable asset to a team whether it’s me coming in on special teams or them throwing me a quick screen looking for me to get 10, 15 yards.”
That, however, did not stop Hurst. He certainly turned heads on Tuesday when he skied over Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal for an impressive one-handed grab during the first day of practice.
“I’m just proving to myself and proving to everybody out there watching that we got some good players in G5,” Hurst said, referring to the Group of 5 schools.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are players such as Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor who came off a season in which he and his teammates seemingly revived Cavaliers football. At 11-3, UVA not only achieved its first winning season since 2019 but reached double-digit wins for the first time since 1989. That success meant that Taylor didn’t necessarily walk into the Senior Bowl with a chip on his shoulder.
“You know what’s crazy?” Taylor said with a slight chuckle. “People actually congratulate me because UVA had a great year.”
Added: “I got a whole bunch of film, so I feel like I’ve proved a lot. Here, I just want to improve on the details and remain confident going against guys at bigger schools.”
That, however, is what the Senior Bowl has always been about. No matter what school that players attended, it’s possible to make a name for themselves in Mobile. Look no further than Jackson State’s Walter Payton, Wyoming’s Josh Allen and Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp, all of whom’s play at the Senior Bowl boosted their draft stock.
Who will be that guy from the 2026 class?
