Terron Armstead is one of the greatest New Orleans Saints of his era. This was a well known fact before being named to the Saints Hall of Fame, and it was only confirmed when the news broke. More than just an achievement for Armstead, his success is an example to HBCU players staying the course
This isn’t lost on Armstead. In his speech after the announcement, the now-Hall of Famer took a moment to send a message directly to current HBCU athletes. “The dream is not out of reach. It’s obtainable. It’s hard. But I think that’s the beauty of it that makes the story worth telling.”
Armstead gave the extra encouragement in the form of words, and his career serves as a reminder of the ceiling players are looking to reach. Armstead was a stud at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on the football field and in track and field during his time there. The mix of his consistent appearances on the All-SWAC team and great physical profile landed him in New Orleans as a third round pick.
Terron Armstead is a prime example of HBCU diamond in the rough
The cliche sold to HBCU players is if you can play, they'll find you. It sounds good, but it's also only true to a degree. The dwindling players selected from FCS schools shows one of the bigger issues in scouting these days.
Scouts are oftentimes passing over even evaluating HBCU and other small school players. There is a belief among some scouts that if the player was good enough then they would have transferred to a bigger school during their career.
There are HBCU players who make it through the cracks, but those numbers are few and far between. It's the absolute best of the best. There's players who aren't elite players on that level but could be worth a late round flier on potential. There isn't enough HBCU athletes receiving that opportunity.
Seeing the results and knowing Power 4 schools are favored, we're seeing more players leave HBCUs quickly. Hopefully, the success and words of Terron Armstead convince more players to stay the course. More importantly, hopefully NFL franchises see his success and see the value in evaluating HBCUs during the draft process.
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