10 small school Diamond Performers that caught the eye of the Hula Bowl scouts

We love small school football at NFL Draft Diamonds, and that is what will make the Hula Bowl in 2022 a fun experience. Every year tons of small schoolers rise up to get a shot at the next level. We at NFL Draft Diamonds are excited to work with the Hula Bowl in 2022, and we wanted to focus on 10 small schoolers (FCS, D2, D3) players we felt had a great week of football. Let’s break down some sleepers.

John Larson, QB, Minnesota Duluth – The 6’1 Braham, Minnesota native had a great game. He had 447 yards passing and six touchdowns. He finished the game an impressive 22/33, and helped lead his team to a 41-14 win over Upper Iowa University. Larson had a great game, and I would not be shocked to see him continue to shine. I would not be right if I did not give his wide out Armani Carmickle a shout out either. He had a huge game hauling in 5 receptions for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Danny Kittner, WR, University of Mary – Kittner was an animal this week. The 5’10 speedy wide out from Gilbert, Arizona hauled in 17 receptions for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kittner had some built in anger after not being on the field last season due to the season being cancelled for COVID. Kittner looked great, and there is a reason why he is a first team All-Conference player.

Keyshawn James, DL, Fayetteville State – The 6’3, 280 pound pass rusher from Fayetteville State was a beast this past weekend. He racked up 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks, plus he looks the part. He has been an All-CIAA first team player in the past, and I would expect him to hold that role throughout this season with the great performance. To think his 3.5 sacks do not lead D2 is interesting, but I have a feeling he will be at the top of the list by the end of the year.

Austin Belot, RB, Wisconsin-Eau Claire – You ready to see some Madden type stats? Belot ripped off three long touchdown runs en route to 364 yards on 17 carries in UW-Eau Claire’s 45-14 win against Luther. The senior ran for touchdowns of 80 and 84 yards in the first quarter alone and added a 54-yard TD run on the Blugolds’ first drive of the third quarter before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Errol Breaux, WR, Dean College – The 6’0 wide receiver had a game to remember. He finished with 8 receptions for 247 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. You cannot make this up. 5 of his 8 receptions went for six. He is a weapon on Special Teams as well, He has the NFL size and speed, if he keeps up these numbers he will shock a lot of people if given an opportunity.

Ramir Tann-Davis, Pace University – The Patterson, New Jersey native was a beast this week for Pace. He finished the game with 321 all-purpose yards. He scored 2 touchdowns but who cares, the wide out had 147 receiving yards and 174 kickoff return yards. He had a 94 yard kickoff return and it was impressive. The 5’11 senior had a huge game, we see you!

Kevin DeShields, DT, Delaware State – Special Teams will help you win championships, and DeShields was a man among boys this past week. The junior pass rusher is 6’3 and 300 pounds, but he has some bunnies. Deshields had 2 blocked kicks this week. That will always get my attention. I love a kid that takes Special Teams serious. He also racked up 3 tackles. The Big Man had a BIG day.

Brandon Codrington, DB, North Carolina Central – Our scout Jimmy Williams had mentioned how fluid Codrington looked in pre-game and boy did he shine. Brandon finished with 3 punt returns for 110 yards, including a 77 yard touchdown return. Codrington finished the game with three tackles as well. Overall he had a great game against Alcorn State.

Tyler Huettel, P, St. Olaf – Huettel is only a freshman, but the Texas native was not playing around. The D3 rookie had 5 punts that traveled 273 yards averaging 54.6 yards per punt. That is impressive at any level, let along a 5’8 punter from Division 3. He nailed a 67 yard bomb for St. Olaf with four of them landing inside the 20. This is a great job by the McKInnley, Texas native.

Deshawn McCarthy, DE, East Stroudsburg University – McCarthy is the D2 sack leader after one week, and he also leads the league with 6 tackles for loss. The Philly native is a big kid at 6’4 and 270 pounds. He is only a junior, but he has a knack for getting after the quarterback. McCarthy is a player you better keep an eye on moving forward. I know we will!