NEWS
The Carolina Panthers Need Barclay Briggs
Barclay Briggs on the sideline of the Wildcats’ FCS Playoff game at Richmond in 2022.
9.2 Million Views and Counting – Wildcat’s Post Goes Viral
Davidson Football scholar-athlete Barclay Briggs recently declared for the NFL Draft. Wait, what?
Briggs post on the social media platform X.
Here’s the full text of his announcement:
To Wildcat Nation,
Over the last 4 years, I have had the incredible opportunity to serve diligently as a regular backup offensive lineman here at Davidson College. While I only played during blowouts or when starters got injured, I refused to let that stop me from being a scrappy, sneaky athletic, fundamental, high football IQ lunch pail guy.
There are countless people who I have to thank for making my dream of playing Division 1 football a reality, but I especially want to express my gratitude for my family, my coaches, Oprah Winfrey, Winston Churchill, my friends, and all those who have supported me throughout this journey.
With that being said, I will be foregoing my remaining eligibility to enter my name into the 2024 NFL Draft.
Many of you may ask yourselves, “If he barely saw playing time at a non-scholarship FCS program, why does this guy think he has any chance in the NFL?” This is an entirely reasonable reaction, and I don’t blame any of you for thinking this. I will provide roughly zero on-field value for an NFL franchise, but I’d probably be pretty fun to have around.
Thank you, Davidson Football. It has been an honor, and I’ll forever be a Wildcat.
As he states, Briggs isn’t a Wildcat starter. In fact, it wasn’t easy to find a photo of him looking through four years of imagery.
Back to the headline. The 1-9 Carolina Panthers need some help on the offensive line. Last Sunday, quarterback Bryce Young was sacked 7 times. He has been sacked 36 times so far this season. At their current state of play, Briggs might actually play. However, as he highlighted, it is his high football-IQ that would be most beneficial to the Panthers. Additionally, if drafted by Carolina, Briggs would be close enough to Davidson to enjoy being part of the Wildcat Alumni Nation.
For those of you who might be curious, if drafted, Briggs would join his former Wildcat Zion Johnson in the NFL. Johnson played at Davidson before transferring to Boston College. He was the 17th overall pick in the 2022 draft, and currently plays for the Los Angeles Chargers.