LAS VEGAS – With the 88th pick of the third round, Jalen Tolbert became the third University of South of Alabama football player to be selected by the National Football League by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2022 Draft held at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I'm excited for the opportunity that awaits me in Dallas. The Cowboys have an amazing organization and fan base and It's definitely a special place to play football," Tolbert said. "I can't wait to get to the star and start putting in work."
With the selection, Tolbert joins former Jags Kawaan Baker, who was selected in the seventh round with the 27th pick – 255th overall – by the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 draft, and Gerald Everett, who was chosen with the 12th pick – 44th overall – in the second round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
Tolbert – who competed in the Reese's Senior Bowl game held at Hancock Whitney Stadium in January – was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year becoming the first Jaguar ever to claim the award. He joined Jeremey Reaves — who was voted the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 — as the only players in South's history to earn individual honors.
Tolbert earned first-team all-conference following the 2021 season after pacing the Sun Belt in catches, receiving yards, receiving yards per game and receptions per game — ranking third in yards per game and sixth in receiving yards nationally — after catching 82 passes for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns this fall.
He led the Jags in receiving yards in all 12 contests this past season, posting the most all-purpose yards by a wide receiver since the program's inception in 2009, while breaking his own school records for catches and receiving yards. The junior set a new program mark with seven 100-plus receiving yard games, which included becoming the first player in the team's history to reach the mark in three straight games after accomplishing the feat against Appalachian State, Tennessee and Coastal Carolina to close out his career.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
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