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Two More Mountaineers Enter NFL Ranks

Kendall Lamm (left) and Joel Ross (right) are Appalachian State's 10th and 11th former players currently in the NFL. Courtesy App State Sports / Keith Cline, Allyson Lamb
Kendall Lamm (left) and Joel Ross (right) are Appalachian State’s 10th and 11th former players currently in the NFL. Courtesy App State Sports / Keith Cline, Allyson Lamb

Former Appalachian State University offensive lineman Kendall Lamm (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) and defensive back Joel Ross (Damascus, Md./Damascus) agreed to join the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, as undrafted free agents shortly following the conclusion of the 2015 National Football League Draft on Saturday.

Lamm, a 6-6, 305-pound left tackle, started 42 games during his Appalachian State career, including all 24 over the past two seasons. As a senior in 2014, he recorded 46 knockdowns and allowed only two sacks over a team-high 817 snaps en route to first-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors. He was the clear-cut leader of an Appalachian State offensive line that allowed only 11 sacks all season and rushed for 241.8 yards per game in 2014. During the Mountaineers’ six-game winning streak to close the season, the Lamm-led offensive front surrendered only one sack and paved the way for App State to rush for 1,747 yards (291.2 ypg).

In addition to earning first-team all-Sun Belt recognition in 2014, he was also a first-team all-Southern Conference selection as a junior in 2013.

Lamm graduated from Appalachian State last December with a bachelor’s degree in communication-public relations.

Ross, a 5-10, 185-pound cornerback, was the only senior starter on an Appalachian State defense that was the top-ranked unit in the Sun Belt and an honorable-mention all-conference selection in 2014. He tied for eighth in the Sun Belt with three interceptions and as the Mountaineers’ top cover corner, played a big role in limiting the league’s top-three passing offenses (UL Monroe, Georgia State and Idaho) to a total of 506 yards (168.7 yards per game — for the season, those three teams average 277.7 passing ypg). He also limited the Sun Belt’s top receiver, Idaho Beletnikoff Award candidate Joshua McCain, to three catches for 39 yards in the season finale. A fearless hitter, Ross ranked fourth on the team with 32 solo tackles.

In 44 career games (30 starts), Ross tallied 153 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 11 pass break-ups.

He graduates from Appalachian State next weekend with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

With the addition of Lamm and Ross, there are now 11 former Mountaineers in the NFL — running back Travaris Cadet (New England Patriots), offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore (San Francisco 49ers), Lamm, punter Sam Martin(Detroit Lions), defensive back Demetrius McCray (Jacksonville Jaguars), wide receiver Andrew Peacock (Detroit Lions), wide receiver/defensive back DeAndre Presley (Carolina Panthers), wide receiver Brian Quick (St. Louis Rams), Ross, linebacker D.J. Smith (Carolina Panthers) and wide receiver Tony Washington (Jacksonville Jaguars).