For a second consecutive year, a former Blinn College football player has been selected in the NFL Draft.
On Saturday, wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was chosen by the Houston Texans in the sixth round (pick 205) of the draft out of Iowa State, capping a collegiate journey which began at Blinn in the fall of 2018.
"I'm so happy for that kid," said Buccaneers head coach Ryan Mahon, who recruited Hutchinson out of Jacksonville, Fla. "He was a tremendous talent when he came in, he worked hard for this, and he's earned every bit of this."
Hutchinson spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a Buccaneer and amassed 62 catches for 958 yards and seven touchdowns. He then accepted an offer to join Iowa State and went on to set program records during his three seasons as a Cyclone.
In 2020, Hutchinson garnered first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors and conference Newcomer of the Year honors after leading his squad with 64 receptions for 771 receiving yards and four TDs in 12 starts. He was a first-team pick in 2021, as well, leading Iowa State with a school-record 83 receptions for 987 receiving yards with five scores. Hutchinson then gained national exposure this past season when he ranked third in the FBS with 107 catches and seventh with 1,171 receiving yards. He led Iowa State with six receiving scores in 12 starts to garner first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team all-conference honors. Hutchinson's 107 receptions in 2022 are a single-season Iowa State record, and his 254 career receptions also set a program career record and were the most ever by a Big 12 player in just three seasons.
(Pictured: Former Blinn College and Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson carries the football during a game earlier this season - photo credit Iowa State University)
Hutchinson finished the 2022 season as a finalist for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, which is awarded annually to the top receiver in NCAA Division I football.
Hutchinson is the third former Buccaneer to reach the NFL during Mahon's time at Blinn. He joins his former Blinn teammate, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray, in the NFL after Gray was chosen by the 49ers in the third round of the 2022 draft. Gray played alongside Hutchinson in 2018 and 2019.
"When kids come here, it's so hard to project an NFL player," Mahon said. "So many things that can happen, so to actually have it come to fruition two years in a row, I think it's a testament that we're doing something right here at Blinn. There's a method to our madness, and when our kids get drafted, I think it solidifies what we do as coaches and shows us we're doing something right."
Hutchinson's arrival in Houston also gives the Texans two Blinn alumni on their roster. Former Blinn and Ohio State defensive back Kendall Sheffield, who was originally selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, resigned with Houston on March 3. Sheffield played for the Bucs under Mahon in 2016.
"I'm just over the moon about it," Mahon said. "To have those guys right in your backyard is pretty special."
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
