July 21, 2025

Five Ferris State football alums set to open NFL preseason training camps

Ferris State football alums begin training camp in the NFL — A group of Ferris State football alums will be competing for roster positions as the National Football League begins its 2025 preseason training camps. Pictured here is Miami Dolphins' star defensive lineman Zach Sieler. (Photo courtesy of the Miami Dolphins)

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. —

Five Ferris State University football alums are set to compete for veteran roster positions as the 2025 National Football League preseason training camps get underway.

The Bulldogs' expected NFL camp participants include five veterans in defensive tackle Zach Sieler, with the Miami Dolphins, defensive back Tavierre Thomas, with the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver Malik Taylor, with the Detroit Lions, defensive end Caleb Murphy, with the Los Angeles Chargers, and tight end Mason Pline, with the San Francisco 49ers.

Sieler and Thomas are entering their eighth season in the NFL and have been regulars on the active roster throughout much of their professional football careers.

Sieler was named the Miami Dolphins' Most Valuable Player last fall while Thomas will begin the 2025 season in Minnesota, which marks the fifth team.

Seven years ago, Sieler became Ferris State's first-ever NFL Draft choice when he was picked in the seventh round as the 238th overall selection by the Baltimore Ravens. He recently signed a major contract extension with the Dolphins.

Taylor returns to Michigan with his home state Lions following the past two seasons with the New York Jets. He began his pro career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and also spent three seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Murphy signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 and appeared in five games with the organization before signing with the Chargers midway thru the 2024 campaign.

Pline, who was a two-time national champion for the Bulldogs before playing his final season as a graduate transfer on the FCS level at Furman University, enters his second season in the league after spending the 2024 campaign with the 49ers' practice squad. He began his collegiate career on the hardwood competing with Ferris State in men's basketball.

The Bulldog alums will open NFL preseason action later this month as the Chargers and Lions square off in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31 in Canton, Ohio. The regular season is set to begin on Sept. 4. The roster deadline is Aug. 26 in which each professional franchise must cut down to a 53-man active/inactive roster.

Over the past 10 seasons, 10 Bulldog alums have seen NFL regular-season action. Ferris State has also had 13 players in NFL preseason camps over the past five years, which ranks among the most of any NCAA DII school in the country.

The Bulldog standouts currently in the NFL have all played key roles in leading Ferris State to 10 consecutive NCAA DII Playoff appearances, which leads the country. Ferris State also ranks as the country's winningest programs over the past decade in DII football and has won three of the last four DII national championships.