ben tate.jpg
Cleveland Browns running back Ben Tate carries the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during an NFL game on Sept. 7, 2014, in Pittsburgh.
(AP Photo)
Less than one week before its first game, the Spring League has released its initial training-camp roster. It shows nine players with Alabama football roots and nine former SEC players.
The Spring League, which describes itself as "an instructional league and showcase for professional football talent," plans to field four teams playing three games apiece from Saturday through April 25 at the Greenbrier Sports Performance Center at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The state players who are on the Spring League's training-camp roster are:
- Tight end
- Defensive back Michael McNeil, Davidson High School,
- Linebacker Jewell Ratliff,
- Long snapper Lance Schuffert, Prattville High School
- Wide receiver James Shaw, St. Clair County High School,
- Running back
- Defensive back
- Linebacker Ridge Wilson,
- Linebacker Tavarius Wilson,
Tate and Wilson have been on NFL regular-season rosters. Tate ran for 2,382 yards in 51 games, but has been out of the league since 2014. Warren played in six games with the New Orleans Saints in 2014.
Hubbard, Shaw and Ridge Wilson have been on NFL practice squads, but Hubbard was an outside linebacker, not a tight end.
The Spring League has no affiliation with the NFL, which has been without an official developmental league since NFL Europe folded in 2007, but a few of the players on the Spring League's roster already have extensive NFL experience.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 1,000 yards for the New York Giants in 2010 and 2012; Greg Hardy was a Pro Bowler for the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 season; and Kellen Winslow Jr. caught 469 passes in nine NFL seasons, including a Pro Bowl campaign for the Cleveland Browns in 2007.
Also on the roster are Anthony Dixon and Josh Robinson, a pair of running backs who were 1,000-yard rushers at Mississippi State; and Francis Nouvi, a 6-foot-4, 276-pounder from The Netherlands who participated in Alabama's Pro Day last month.
The Spring League roster includes:
Quarterbacks: David Ash, Texas; McLeod Bethel-Thompson, UCLA; Hutson Mason, Georgia; Ricky Stanzi, Iowa.
Running backs: Alvester Alexander, Wyoming; Ahmad Bradshaw, Marshall; Zachary Bauman, Northern Arizona; Noel Devine, West Virginia; Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State; Josh Robinson, Mississippi State; Ben Tate, Auburn; Kelsey Young, Boise State.
Fullbacks: Jonathan Amosa, Washington; Adam Cox, Iowa.
Wide receivers: Sedderick Cunningham, Furman; Kenzel Doe, Wisconsin; Brandon Gibson, Washington State; Da'Je Johnson, Texas; Terrance Lewis, Alcorn State; Gavin Lutman, Pittsburgh State; Tyler McDonald, South Carolina State; Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma; James Shaw, Jacksonville State; Lawrence Smith, Akron; Reese Wiggins, East Carolina; J.D. Woods, West Virginia.
Tight ends: Chris Bazile, Grambling; Mandel Dixon, Tulsa; Manasseh Garner, Pittsburgh; Cody Gibson, South Carolina; Jacob Harper, Glenville State; Adrian Hubbard, Alabama; Jordan Thompson, Ohio; Justin Tukes, Central Florida; Kellen Winslow Jr., Miami (Fla.).
Offensive linemen: Mitchell Bell, Louisiana Tech; Chris Boles, Illinois; Michael Brewster, Ohio State; Trevan Brown, Miami (Ohio); Randall Harris, Towson; Amadou Konte, Benedict; Haniteli Lousi, Oregon; Powell Lucas, Ohio; Quentin Saulsberry, Mississippi State; William Smith, Wake Forest; Sifa Tufunga, Washington; Mitchell Van Dyk, Portland State; Jordan Walsh, Iowa.
Defensive backs: Josh Burch, Illinois State; James Caine, Pittsburgh State; Avery Cunningham, Central Michigan; Marquis Drayton, Bethune-Cookman; Joshua Furman, Oklahoma State; Justin Green, Illinois; Jeremy Johnson, West Virginia; LeQuan Lewis, Arizona State; Michael McNeil, Auburn; Anthony Nixon Jr., Maryland; Jermaine Robinson, Toledo; Brandon Smith, Arizona State; Devon Torrence, Ohio State; Pierre Warren, Jacksonville State; Demetrius Wright, Southern Cal.
Linebackers: Ezekiel Bigger, East Carolina; Isaiah Bruce, West Virginia; Rennie Curran, Georgia; Sage Harold, James Madison; Takari Johnson, Concordia; Jewell Ratliff, Tuskegee; James Ross, Michigan; Tyler Starr, South Dakota State; Tyrone Ward, Hampton; Bobby Weston Jr., West Virginia; Ridge Wilson, West Alabama; Tavarius Wilson, North Alabama.
Defensive linemen: Marcus Bagley, UTEP; Rakim Cox, Villanova; Domonique Davis, Liberty; Ryne Giddins, South Florida; Greg Hardy, Ole Miss; Calvin Heurtelou, Miami (Fla.); Demetrius Mason, Murray State; Dame Ndiaye, Arizona; Elhadji Ndiaye, Nebraska-Kearney; Francis Nouvi; Jack Sherlock, South Dakota State; Delvon Simmons, Southern Cal; Quanterrus Smith, Western Kentucky; Alameda Ta'amu, Washington; Tani Tupou, Washington.
Specialists:
Mattias Ciabatti, punter, South Florida; Joshua Gable, kicker; Ben LeCompte, punter/kicker, North Dakota State; Kyle Martens, punter, Rice; Avery Rigg, long snapper, San Angelo State; Lance Schuffert, long snapper, Southern Miss.