27 former NCAA FBS players continuing football career in Mexico, including former NFL quarterback and Last Chance U star
Playing professional football in Mexico doesn't come with the glamour of the NFL. But it sure comes with the grit from players doing their best to continue their dreams of playing the game and getting paid to do it. That's why former FBS players head to the LFA (Liga de Fútbol Americano) in their neighbor country […]
Playing professional football in Mexico doesn't come with the glamour of the NFL. But it sure comes with the grit from players doing their best to continue their dreams of playing the game and getting paid to do it.
That's why former FBS players head to the LFA (Liga de Fútbol Americano) in their neighbor country to compete throughout the spring and summer.
The LFA is still in its early days having been inaugured in 2016. The league is growing, with NFL stars like Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle recently joining forces with Ryan Kalil and former NBA star Blake Griffin to purchase one of the eight teams competing in the league, the Monterrey Osos.
Below are all the players with NCAA FBS experience playing in the 2025 LFA season, which played its Week 1 this weekend and will run through mid-July.
Note: Stats shown are for their college days, not their LFA stats.
Chihuahua Caudillos (7)
- DT Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming: First-team All-Mountain West defensive tackle in 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 69 tackles. He finished his career with 28 tackles in 34 games.
- DT Adrian González, Eastern Michigan: After a standout career in Mexico, he saw action in 10 games at EMU (2023), ending the year with 15 tackles and one-half sack.
- WR Emmanuel Harris, Lobos New Mexico: One of the speediest receivers in Mexico, he redshirted as a senior in 2017 but played in 12 games in 2016. He caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
- WR Ari Werts, Georgia State: Werts played tight end for the Panthers and finished his career ranking ninth in program history in career receiving yards.
- WR Dior Scott, Hawaii: Featured in Netflix's Last Chance U, played 22 games for Hawaii in a three-year span, including six starts at wide receiver in 2022.
- DL Tavis Malakius, UNLV Rebels: Played in 43 games, totaling 76 tackles, four for loss, and one forced fumble.
- WR Keyon Lesane Sr., N.C. State: Team captain in 2023, starting every game of the season. Caught 83 passes for 785 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
Monterrey Osos (4)
- CB Colby Burton, Hawaii: Started collegiate career in McNeese State before reaching Hawaii and logging 11 games on special teams and as a reserve DB.
- LB Jamoi Hodge, TCU: Team captain in 2023, started 12 games as a senior to reach 34 consecutive starts over his final three seasons. Back to back honorable mentions in All-Big 12 teams.
- DT Nick Coe, Auburn: Standout DT for the Tigers, started 10 games in 2018 and racked up seven sacks, earning several top preseason rankings going into his final year in college.
- DT Johnny Hudson, Fresno State: Started 23 games at DT between 2022 and 2023, registering 42 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Puebla Arcángeles (4)
- DB Dishon McNary, Central Michigan: Started 10 games (2020-2021) before missing remainder of 2021 campaign due to injury. Formerly played in Independence CC while being coached by Last Chance U's James Brown.
- DL Laquan Johnson, Central Michigan: Totaled 72 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks throughout 33 games.,
- RB Joshua Mack, Liberty: Transferred from Maine and sat out 2018, joining Liberty in its early FBS days. Rushed for 2,043 yards in three years with the Flames, adding 14 touchdowns on the ground.
- DB Rishad Goode, Troy: Played in 11 games in 2013, getting 22 tackles.
Raptors del Valle de Mexico (1)
- DB Antonio Reed, Nebraska: Played in 46 games and started in seven, He finished his four-year career with three interceptions, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. He later played with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL in 2023.
Saltillo Dinos (3)
- QB Trevone Boykin, TCU: Finished his career first in TCU history in passing yards, completions, and passing touchdowns. For his career, he passed for 10,728 yards. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016 and was released in 2018 after domestic assault allegations emerged, which later pleaded guilty to, leading to three-year prison sentence in 2020.
- DL Rick D'Abreu, TCU: Started his collegiate career at East Carolina before transferring to TCU in 2023. He had 12 stops in 2023, three of which came against in the team's epic season opener versus Colorado.
- RB Chance Bell, San Diego State: Two-time Mountain West scholar-athlete. Rushed for 1,392 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.
Mexico City Mexicas (4)
- WR Jeremiah Knight, ULM: His best season happened in 2021 when he caught 45 passes for 588 yards in 12 games. He also played in Akron.
- DB Jordan White, Northern Illinois: Played 10 games in 2022 and picked off CMU's Daniel Richardson.
- LB Colby Campbell, Duke: After a standout career in the FCS level, Campbell played 11 games with Duke in 2021 and registered seven tackles and one forced fumble.
- DL Brayden Utley, Baylor: Three-time First-Team Academic All-Big 12. Played 47 games in his career and racked up 8 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Jalisco Reyes (4)
- WR Devin Heckstall, Utah State: Though he's out for the year with an Achilles tear, he's one of the best wide receivers in the LFA. Logged four catches in 10 games in 2018.
- LB Eldridge Thompson, South Carolina: Played 23 games with the Gamecocks, most of which came in his first year in the program. Injuries kept him off the field later on.
- DT Fernando Reyes, UTEP: Did not see action but was part of the program in 2020.
- CB Deandre Elliott, Colorado State: Played 47 games, totaling 124 tackles, seven picks, and 34 pass deflections. He was later signed to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and played 13 games as a rookie.
