Sports and Outdoors

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Six Players on NFL Rosters

From the Ball State University Athletics Office:

Ball State's football program has six former players currently on National Football League rosters as the 2011 training camps opened last week.

Two members of the 2010 senior class, Robert Eddins and Michael Switzer, have both signed free agent contracts with the Buffalo Bills.

Nate Davis, Dan Gerberry and Andre Ramsey all completed their Ball State careers after the 2008 season. Davis has signed with the Indianapolis Colts, Gerberry is in his third season with the Detroit Lions and Ramsey is with the Baltimore Ravens.

Reggie Hodges, who was selected in the 2005 NFL Draft, is returning to the Cleveland Browns as the team's top punter.

Eddins was a 2009 and 2010 All-Mid-American Conference Second Team selection for the Cardinals. He started all 12 games in 2010 and 34 games in his career. Eddins completed his career ranked in a tie for sixth on Ball State's all-time chart with 17 sacks.

He tallied a career high 4.5 sacks at Central Michigan in 2010, which was the second most sacks in a single game in Ball State history.

Switzer was a 2010 All-MAC Third Team choice and a team captain for the Cardinals. He started all 51 games in his four year career. In 2008, he was part of an offensive line that ranked first in the MAC and fourth in the country for fewest sacks allowed. He becomes the fourth member of the starting 2008 offensive line to get an opportunity in the NFL, joining Gerberry, Ramsey and Robert Brewster.

Davis was the 2008 MAC Offensive Player of the Year and one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award after completing a school record 270 passes for a school standard 3,667 yards. Davis threw a Ball State single-season record 30 touchdown passes, shattering the previous mark of 18 set by Joey Lynch in 2005 and tied by Davis in 2006. Davis managed a 22-12 record as a starting quarterback at Ball State and threw at least one touchdown pass in 29 of his final 31 games.

Gerberry and Ramsey, along with Switzer, were part of an offensive line that blocked for Davis' season plus blocked for MiQuale Lewis, who rushed for a school record 1,736 yards. The trio helped the Cardinals to 5,972 yards in total offense.

Hodges was one of three Ball State players selected in the 2005 NFL Draft when he was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round. He set the Ball State career record with 254 punts and finished second all-time with 10,210 punt yards. Hodges averaged 40.2 yards per punt, which ranked third all-time in Ball State annals.

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