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Two More App State Players Join NFL Ranks

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Former Appalachian State wideouts Tony Washington (left – Indianapolis Colts) and Andrew Peacock (right – Detroit Lions) signed free-agent NFL deals on Saturday. Courtesy: Chase Reynolds, App State Athletics

May 12, 2014. Wide receivers Andrew Peacock and Tony Washington are the latest Appalachian State University alumni to join the National Football League ranks, as Peacock signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions and Washington inked a free-agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts shortly following the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Peacock finished his career as Appalachian State’s all-time leader with 208 career receptions and ranked fifth in school history with 2,108 receiving yards. His 79 receptions as a junior in 2012 and 78 catches as a senior in 2013 rank fourth and fifth in Appalachian’s all-time single-season annals. He led the Southern Conference in receptions as a senior and ranked third in the league as a junior, earning second-team all-conference honors both seasons. His prolific collegiate career as a wide receiver came after he was a four-year starting quarterback at Northern Durham H.S., where he amassed nearly 3,000 yards of total offense as a senior in 2008. He threw two touchdowns in three career pass attempts at Appalachian State.

Washington ranks eighth in Appalachian State history in both receptions (139) and receiving yards (1,837). He enjoyed a breakout season as a senior in 2013, when he led the SoCon with 939 receiving yards and ranked second with 64 receptions, en route to first-team all-conference recognition. Washington also earned all-conference accolades as a return specialist after ranking 11th in NCAA Division I FCS with a 27.3-yard kickoff-return average and 21st nationally with a 9.0-yard punt-return average as a junior in 2012. His 23.4-yard career kickoff-return average ranks fifth in Appalachian history.

Washington is also one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever attend Appalachian State.  One of only 16 nationwide recipients of the National Football Foundation’s 2013 National Scholar-Athlete Award, Washington graduated from Appalachian with a 3.80 cumulative grade point average. He was the University’s Most Outstanding Architectural Design Student in 2012-13 and was the winner of the architectural design department’s Spring 2013 portfolio competition.

Peacock and Washington closed their careers as Appalachian State’s all-time leaders in combined receptions by classmates (347) and ranked third in school history in combined receiving yards by classmates (3,945). They both served as team captains in 2013.

With the addition of Peacock and Washington, there are now 13 former Mountaineers currently on NFL rosters. The newest duo joins Travaris Cadet (New Orleans Saints), Jason Hunter (Oakland Raiders), Daniel Kilgore (San Francisco 49ers), Jeremy Kimbrough (Washington Redskins), Corey Lynch (Indianapolis Colts), Sam Martin(Detroit Lions), Demetrius McCray (Jacksonville Jaguars), Steven Miller (Detroit Lions), DeAndre Presley(Carolina Panthers), Brian Quick (St. Louis Rams) and D.J. Smith (Carolina Panthers). Peacock and Washington look to follow in the footsteps of Cadet, Hunter, Kimbrough, Miller and Presley, who all made teams as undrafted free agents.