Jarod Washington spent his final college season making life difficult for opposing HBCU quarterbacks. Now the former South Carolina State cornerback has an opportunity to prove he can do the same thing in the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings signed Washington to their 90-man training camp roster on Aug. 2, giving the 2025 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and HBCU National Player of the Year finalist his first NFL contract.
Minnesota added Washington while veteran cornerback James Pierre was sidelined by an injury. The Vikings waived rookie running back Kejon Owens, who opened camp with a non-football illness designation, to create a roster spot.
The transaction does not guarantee Washington a place on Minnesota’s final roster. It does, however, give one of the most productive defensive backs in HBCU football the opening he spent the spring chasing.
After going undrafted and attending two rookie minicamps without receiving a contract, Washington is officially inside an NFL training camp.
Now he has to make the opportunity count.
Jarod Washington finally gets his NFL opportunity
Jarod Washington participated in rookie minicamps with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Neither tryout produced an immediate contract, but his combination of size, speed, and production kept him on the NFL radar.
At 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, Washington possesses the length teams covet in an outside cornerback. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at his Pro Day and reached 21.33 miles per hour during the East-West Shrine Bowl—the fastest recorded speed of any player during the week.
Those athletic traits backed up what Washington put on film during his final season at South Carolina State.
He led the FCS with 20 pass breakups and averaged a national-best 1.83 passes defended per game in 2025. Washington also recorded 32 tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and a 51-yard pick-six.
That production earned him MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and made him a finalist for the Stats Perform HBCU National Player of the Year award.
Washington now joins a Minnesota Vikings defense coordinated by Brian Flores, whose aggressive system frequently asks defensive backs to hold up in isolated coverage.
It is a demanding assignment, especially for a rookie joining the team after training camp has begun. But Washington’s length, speed, and ability to disrupt passes give Minnesota an intriguing developmental option.
From junior college to HBCU national champion
Washington’s path to the NFL did not begin with a blue-chip recruiting profile or a direct route to Division I football.
He started his college career at Hocking College in Ohio before transferring to Benedict College in Columbia, SC.
Playing under head coach Chennis Berry in 2023, Washington recorded 15 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defended. His performance helped Benedict establish one of the top defenses in Division II football.
When Berry accepted the job at South Carolina State, Washington followed him to Orangeburg.
The move gave Washington an opportunity to test himself at the FCS level while joining one of the most accomplished football programs in HBCU history.
He quickly proved he could handle the jump.
Washington earned First-Team All-MEAC honors in 2024 after recording 40 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and two interceptions. He returned both interceptions for touchdowns, displaying the ball skills that would eventually attract NFL attention.
His production helped SC State win the MEAC championship and advance to the Celebration Bowl during Berry’s first season.
Washington was even better in 2025.
He became the anchor of the Bulldogs’ secondary and one of the most disruptive coverage defenders in college football. His defining performance came against Howard, when he broke up six passes and returned an interception for a touchdown.
By the end of the season, challenging Jarod Washington had become one of the least attractive options available to opposing quarterbacks.
Washington leaves SC State as a champion
Individual honors were only part of Washington’s final season.
South Carolina State captured its second consecutive MEAC championship and returned to the Celebration Bowl, where the Bulldogs faced Prairie View A&M for the HBCU national championship.
SC State fell behind by 21 points before producing one of the most dramatic comebacks in Celebration Bowl history. The Bulldogs eventually defeated Prairie View 40-38 in four overtimes, sending Washington out as a conference and national champion.
Across his two seasons in Orangeburg, Washington, he recorded four interceptions, three pick-sixes, and more than 30 pass breakups.
He arrived at SC State as a Division II transfer following his head coach. He left as an All-American, a two-time MEAC champion, an HBCU national champion, and an NFL prospect.
That climb fits comfortably within the history of South Carolina State football.
SC State’s NFL tradition runs deep
Washington is attempting to become the latest professional player from an HBCU program with one of the richest NFL legacies in college football.
South Carolina State has produced four members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Marion Motley, Deacon Jones, Harry Carson, and Donnie Shell.
Motley helped break professional football’s modern color barrier with the Cleveland Browns and became one of the most dominant fullbacks of his era.
Jones revolutionized the defensive end position and became one of the most feared pass rushers in NFL history. He is also widely credited with popularizing the term “sack.”
Carson became the heart of the New York Giants’ defense, earning nine Pro Bowl selections and helping the franchise win Super Bowl XXI.
Shell entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and became a foundational member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty. He won four Super Bowls, earned five Pro Bowl selections and finished his career with 51 interceptions.
Shell’s story carries particular relevance for Washington.
He left SC State without hearing his name called in the NFL Draft, then turned an opportunity into a Hall of Fame career. Washington is only beginning his attempt to overcome those same long odds.
The year eight Bulldogs entered the NFL
South Carolina State’s professional pipeline extends beyond its four Hall of Famers.
In 1981, eight Bulldogs entered the NFL in the same year—the largest single-year professional class in SC State and MEAC history.
Robert Geathers Sr., Edwin Bailey, Charlie Brown, William Judson, and John Alford were selected in the NFL Draft. Angelo King, Leroy Robinson, and Chris Ragland entered the league as free agents.
Together, the group spent 38 years on NFL rosters. Brown developed into a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, while members of the class combined for four Super Bowl appearances.
That historic class represented what South Carolina State has consistently done: identify and develop professional talent outside the brightest recruiting spotlight.
Modern Bulldogs have continued the pipeline
The SC State-to-NFL connection has remained strong across subsequent generations.
Robert Porcher became a first-round selection of the Detroit Lions in 1992 and developed into a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end. He recorded 95.5 career sacks and remains one of the most accomplished defensive players in franchise history.
Shaquille Leonard became one of the NFL’s most dominant linebackers after the Indianapolis Colts selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Leonard led the league with 163 tackles as a rookie, won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and earned First-Team All-Pro honors during his first season. He finished his injury-shortened career as a three-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro.
Javon Hargrave entered the league as a third-round selection in 2016 and developed into a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Now with the Green Bay Packers, Hargrave is entering his 11th NFL season.
Cobie Durant provides an even closer comparison for Washington.
Durant won the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year at SC State before the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After establishing himself over four seasons in Los Angeles, Durant signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2026.
Washington arrives in the NFL with the same conference award, the same position, and another opportunity to extend the Bulldogs’ defensive back pipeline.
An uphill battle in Minnesota
Jarod Washington faces a difficult path to Minnesota’s 53-man roster.
He entered camp behind the rest of the team and must learn Flores’ defense while competing against players who have spent the offseason inside the system. His quickest route to the roster could come through special teams, where undrafted defensive backs often establish their initial value.
Preseason games will provide Washington with his best opportunity to show that his college production can translate against NFL competition.
Making the active roster would be the ideal outcome. A place on Minnesota’s practice squad would still allow the Vikings to develop his physical tools and give Washington more time inside an NFL organization.
Neither outcome should be assumed.
Washington must first earn enough practice and preseason opportunities to give the Minnesota Vikings a reason to keep him around.
Another Bulldog gets his opening
South Carolina State’s history cannot secure Washington a roster spot.
The names of Jones, Carson, Shell, Porcher, Leonard, Hargrave, and Durant will not make the Minnesota Vikings’ decision for him.
But that history supplies the proper context for his arrival.
Washington is not the first overlooked Bulldog to receive an NFL opportunity. South Carolina State has spent generations producing players capable of turning narrow openings into long professional careers.
Jarod Washington has his opening now with the Minnesota Vikings.
What he does with it will determine whether another name is added to the Bulldogs’ NFL lineage.