Former HBCU football star Chris Rowland looks to have found a home in the UFL.
The former Tennessee State wide receiver has become a key player for the DC Defenders this season.
Rowland came into Sunday’s game against the Memphis Showboats leading the league in all-purpose yards as well as punt return yards with 1,132. He added 209 all-purpose yards, including a touchdown catch.
“Nothing but God,” Rowland tweeted after eclipsing the mark earlier in the week. “So grateful to have crossed this milestone for the first time in my pro career.
Chris Rowland has been making plays for years, especially during his college days at Tennessee State. Rowland set an HBCU record with 104 receptions during the 2019 season, eclipsing the old mark of 103 set by Black College Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in 1984. He was named First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) as a wide receiver and return specialist. Rowland led the Conference in receptions, yards (1,437) and all-purpose yards (2,110), and was named OVC Offensive Player of the Year. He was the only Division I player (FBS or FCS) to score a touchdown via kick return, punt return, reception, and rushing. He was named the HBCU Player of The Year by the Black College Football Hall of Fame that season.
After leading the nation in receiving yards per game (119.8), Rowland was selected to play in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl. He was also a Finalist for the Walter Payton Award, named after the Black College Football Hall of Famer, which is given to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year.
Rowland – like all HBCU players – went undrafted in 2020. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent, and then landed on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2021. He then landed with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. He put up solid numbers in 2022 but an injury sidelined him for all but one game in the following season.
He landed with the DC Defenders following the merger with the XFL that created the UFL and now he’s showing why he was one of the top all-around players in FCS football at his HBCU.