The Charlotte 49ers’ young football program is already a proving ground for NFL talent

Having two players taken in the NFL draft is noteworthy for any college program — especially one that wasn’t in existence eight years ago.

But that’s where the Charlotte 49ers found themselves Saturday when this year’s draft wrapped up. Defensive end Alex Highsmith had been taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round and offensive lineman Cameron Clark went in the fourth round to the New York Jets.

And minutes after the draft had wrapped up, running back Benny LeMay signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent.

“It starts to level the playing field, it makes up for your lack of history,” second-year 49ers coach Will Healy said Monday. “It lets these guys know that their aspirations aren’t just a pipe dream. If you want to go to the NFL and you want to earn that opportunity, it’s been proven you can do it from here.”

Charlotte only began playing football in 2013 as an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision independent and moved up the Football Bowl Subdivision level and Conference USA in 2015.

And while Charlotte hasn’t had a lot of team-based success yet (the 49ers only had their first winning season and bowl appearance last fall), it has quickly become a legitimate breeding ground for NFL talent.

Before Highsmith and Clark, only defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi (2017) and offensive lineman Nate Davis (2019) were drafted, now starters for the Browns and Tennessee Titans, respectively.

The 49ers had as many players drafted last week as in-state ACC programs North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest and more than (one) and Duke (none). Longtime power Appalachian State also had two players drafted (running back Darrynton Evans and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither).

“Here’s what we can do now,” Healy said of his recruiting pitch to high school prospects. “We tell them: You know you want to get to the NFL. There are plenty of places that can get you there and Charlotte is showing it’s one of those places. Now you can pick the best fit for you, find the best people for you to help with what you want to accomplish.”

Healy, known for his recruiting prowess, is quick to acknowledge that Highsmith, Clark and LeMay were all recruited by former 49ers coach Brad Lambert’s staff.

“I’ve told anybody who will listen, it felt like cheating for me,” said Healy, who just landed the program’s first four-star recruit in offensive lineman Ty’Kieast Crawford. “Obviously I didn’t recruit those guys and I wasn’t there for four of their five years here. I just wanted to enjoy this last day with them.”

But Healy’s switch to a 4-2-5 defense last season definitely helped Highsmith’s prospects. Lining up on the edge, Highsmith used his quickness, too, on the way to 14 sacks (ranked fourth nationally) and 21.5 tackles for loss (fifth).

Healy said not having a pro day (Charlotte’s was canceled due to coronavirus concerns in March), might have hurt LeMay’s chances at being drafted. Other seniors, such as cornerback Marquill Osborne and offensive Jalen Allen, didn’t get a chance to work out in front of NFL scouts, either.

“Benny might have run a little better at the pro day than he did at the combine,” Healy said. “But it’s tough to say. Cam maybe could have bumped up a round, also.”

But Healy said NFL scouts’ familiarity with Charlotte’s program only helped LeMay in the end.

“Overall, just the respect for our program,” Healy said. “When Benny got picked up, it proved that there’s some validity to what’s going on in your program.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 12:20 PM.