Barton College’s football program made history late Saturday night.
The Division II Bulldogs, who restarted their program in 2019-20 after seven decades, had its first player sign with an NFL franchise.
Wide receiver Kameron Johnson inked an undrafted free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just hours after the NFL Draft concluded. Then, on Sunday morning, Barton announced that former All-American running back Jordan Terrell had been invited to the Tennessee Titans mini-camp, essentially a tryout opportunity.
Johnson, from Rocky Mount, played his high school football at Northern Nash. Terrell, from Ramseur, starred for Eastern Randolph High. Both were coached for four years at Barton by Chip Hester, navigating the COVID pandemic among other challenges associated with starting a football program.
Both Johnson and Terrell lit up stat sheets in their final season playing for Hester’s Bulldogs.
Johnson had 51 catches for 879 yards and seven touchdowns. His biggest game came against Wingate: nine catches, 187 yards, one touchdown. He also had 121 receiving yards vs. Newberry and 110 receiving yards at Mars Hill.
Terrell earned multiple All-America honors after his stellar season, which included 1,732 rushing yards (second in NCAA Division II) and 11 touchdowns. Terrell broke school and South Atlantic Conference records in his final game at Barton, galloping for 403 yards (22 yards short of the all-time D2 mark) and four TDs against Erskine.
During four years with the D2 Bulldogs, Johnson piled up 2,316 receiving yards and 19 TDs on 151 catches. Johnson also earned more than 1,000 yards in kickoff and punt returns, taking two back for scores.
Terrell set a high-bar for career rushing at Barton, finishing with 5,487 yards and 44 touchdowns. He was a three-time All-Super Region pick and a two-time first-team all-conference selection.
What is the difference between an undrafted free agent signing and a mini-camp invitee? The undrafted free agent signs a contract, whereas the mini-camp invite serves as a tryout, with no signed contract heading into the camp.
More D2 Football Updates
LB Landon Honeycutt (Mars Hill): Honeycutt, from Mount Pleasant (Mount Pleasant HS) has been invited to the Cleveland Browns upcoming mini camp. Honeycutt had a monster final season with the Lions, recording 107 tackles and 5.5 sacks – averaging more than 10 stops per contest.
WR RJ Mobley (Winston-Salem State): The Rams reported on Sunday afternoon that Mobley has signed with the Chicago Bears (who recently drafted USC quarterback Caleb Williams by the way with the No. 1 pick). Mobley caught 43 balls a year ago for the Rams for 598 yards and seven TDs. Mobley started his career at Wingate before playing in 2023 and 2022 for Winston-Salem State
—> READ MORE: Players with North Carolina college and high school ties drafted by NFL teams
—> READ MORE: Tracking players from NC college teams who signed as NFL undrafted free agents or received mini-camp invites
