“Diamond Performance” from Week 1 of College Football presented by the Hula Bowl
NFL Draft Diamonds is excited to team up with the Hula Bowl this year to help scout with the game. Every week we will break down some players in college football that had a Diamond Performance. The Hula Bowl is one of the longest lasting All-Star Games in the country. This year the Hula Bowl will be played in Orlando, Florida in January, 2022. There have been some legends who have played in the Hula Bowl to include, Deion Sanders, Dan Marino, and even Drew Brees. This year, we are looking to continue the rich tradition. We will be listing players every week that we feel had a great performance. Let’s begin!
McKenzie Milton, QB, Florida State – Milton brought the world to their feet for his performance this weekend against Notre Dame. He showed us the definition of courage, passion, and heart. Milton led FSU to two late scoring drives against Notre Dame leading the team to overtime.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Youngstown State – The YSU running back dominated UIW this week when he rumbled for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 29 carries. The former Division 2 running back from Notre Dame College balled out against UIW. He was a huge reason the Penguins were able to get the win. He finished the game with 8.3 yards per carry.
Ryan Greenhagen, LB, Fordham – The Fordham linebacker went in against Nebraska. The Sparta, N.J. native, set a Patriot League record, and NCAA Division I record with 31 total tackles against the Cornhuskers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
David Durden, WR, West Florida – We cannot make this list if we do not include Durden. The star wide out from UWF finished with 172 yards receiving and a touchdown. The 6’2 junior was a starting wide out at Mercer University before transferring to UWF. He was drafted in the 20th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. The kid is a gamer.
Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky – Zappe is a former small-school standout for Houston Baptist. Zappe did not disappoint, he continued his dominance this week throwing 7 touchdown passes and over 400 yards passing. With 10,004 career passing yards entering the game, he ranks behind only three FBS quarterbacks: Shane Buechele of SMU [11,660], Sam Ehlinger of Texas [11,436], and Brady White of Memphis [10,949].
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com