Austin Tennessee signs UDFA deal with Vikings

After just Stevenson’s sixth season in program history, Austin Tennessee has become the Mustang’s first NFL signing, coming to terms on a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

After just the sixth season in the program’s history, the Stevenson Mustangs have their first ever NFL prospect. All-American safety Austin Tennessee signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

Tennessee was a consensus First Team All-American from both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back has the build of an NFL player and has played a high level since joining the Mustangs.

Tennessee got on the radar of some NFL teams when he followed a very strong sophomore season with a great junior season. As a junior, Tennessee has six interceptions and 36 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Then, he solidified himself as an NFL prospect with another six interception season as a senior to go with eight more pass breakups, 44 tackles, and a sack.

Over his four seasons, Tennessee finished with 196 tackles, 14 interceptions, 30 pass breakups and five blocked kicks, showing his value and ability on special teams.

The Terps also had two players sign undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams early in the post-draft period. Cornerback Alvin Hill signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns while wide receiver Levern Jacobs was picked up by the Washington Football Team.

Jacobs, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver finished his career ranked seventh in Terps history with 130 receptions and 12th with 1,544 receiving yards. As a senior, he started 10 games. He only caught three passes for 20 yards through the first five games, but has more success in the second half of the season and finished the year with 41 receptions for 439 yards and two touchdowns.

Hill, a 6-foot, 200-pound cornerback, is a well-built defender and finished his senior season with a career-high 51 tackles to go with four pass breakups. He also has two interceptions. Hill had 106 tackles and 10 pass breakups in his career at Maryland. He finished with three interceptions.

Surprisingly, defensive back and kick return specialists Will Likely III and offensive tackle Michael Dunn have not been signed to this point on Sunday morning. Both were only fringe draft prospects but were viewed as Maryland’s top prospects.

Likely is an explosive and versatile player who finished his career at Maryland with 229 tackles, seven interceptions, 29 pass breakups and five forced fumbles, though he did not have any interceptions as a junior or senior after getting six as a sophomore. He figures to get a shot in the NFL as a return man. He has 25.7 yards per kickoff return throughout his career at Maryland and totaled 2,233 yards and two touchdowns. On Punts, he had 875 yards for 13.1 yards per return average and four interceptions. Likely even mixed in on offense as both a rusher and receiver at times.

However, Likely is only 5-foot-7 and is coming off a torn ACL, suffered on October 21. He probably won’t sign with a team until he can prove he is fully healthy.

Dunn has great size for an offensive tackle at 6-foot-5, 300-pounds. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection as a junior and senior and started 48 games for the Terps. He helped paved the way for a Maryland running game that topped 2,500 yards from scrimmage in 2016.

UPDATE: April 30 – 1:00 PM

Towson running back Darius Victor finished his Towson career as one of the all-time top rushers in program history, a program that sent has sent Dave Meggett, Tony Vinson and Terrance West into the NFL, and has accepted a rookie camp invite offered by the New York Jets. The 2013 CAA Rookie of the Year, who split time with West, had 2,955 yards and 34 touchdowns through his first three seasons. Then as a senior he had seven more touchdowns and 354 yards through four games before suffering a season-ending injury.

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Corey Johns

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You could say Corey was born to become a sports journalist. His father won a national championship coaching college soccer. His mother is a baseball fanatic who hasn't missed seeing an Orioles game since 1983 (literally, sometimes it's annoying). His great uncle was a big-time boxing promoter and his maternal grandfather was once a department head at the Baltimore Sun. Basically, sports and journalism run through his blood. He played just about every little league sports there was when he was a kid and was a multi-sport athlete in high school; even playing in the first-ever high school sanction Rugby game in the country. Eventually he retired from sports as an undefeated Maryland state Rugby champion as a high school senior. Perhaps lack of athletic talent has more to do with the retirement, but he will tell you that it more had to do with a great desire to jump right into media. Upon his graduation from University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a triple communications major, Corey started the So Much Sports network and has continued to grow his websites and continues to work to make them premier sports media outlets.

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