HBCU Player of the Year signs with UFL

Record-breaking HBCU football player of the year signs pro contract

The Memphis Showboats have bolstered their backfield by signing standout running back Jada Byers. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche first reported the news. Byers, a dynamic playmaker from Virginia Union University, brings an impressive collegiate résumé to the United Football League. Byers, a 5-foot-7, 185-pound native of Bridgeton, New Jersey, made his mark at the Division II level with the Virginia Union Panthers. Over four seasons (2021-24), he amas…

HBCU Player of the Year signs with UFL

Despite a record-shattering collegiate career, Virginia Union star Jada Byers was not selected in the NFL Draft nor signed by any NFL teams. However, the HBCU standout is getting a professional opportunity—he is signing with the UFL’s Memphis Showboats, according to a report from Steve Wyche of NFL Network. Byers, widely regarded as a generational talent at running back in HBCU football history, was named the 2024 Deacon Jones Award winner, an h…