A Look at the Top Weber State Alumni

• "They'll be ready to play," Head coach Brent Brennan said of WSU. "Every time I've played against an FCS team, they come in and you know, they know that this is a big opportunity for them, and that you get their best shot in every way."

• "And I've been through this coaching football thing for a long time and I've had good days and bad days in this situation. And so, we're working our tails off to make sure that we play our best football on Saturday night and keep moving in the direction we want to move as a football program."

WSU may be a smaller program, but it has still produced some NFL-caliber talent that has gone on to do some good things at the next level of the game. Here is a list of three Weber State players who succeeded in college and went on to the next level.

Rashid Shaheed

Shaheed played four years with WSU and had one of the best careers the program has ever seen as a kickoff return specialist and a wide receiver.

By the end of his time with WSU, Shaheed finished as an FCS all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns with seven and the only player in the program's history to earn four All-American honors.

Shaheed finished his career with 5,478 all-purpose yards, which is the third most in WSU history. He also finished seventh in career receiving yards with 2178 and had 18 touchdowns.

Shaheed later signed with the New Orleans Saints in August 2022 as an undrafted free agent and made his debut on the main roster in October that year. His first touch was for a 44-yard touchdown. His first reception was a 53-yard touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts.

Shaheed played 15 games in 2023 and racked up 719 yards as a receiver with five touchdowns. As a returner, he gained 384 yards on his way to representing the Saints in the Pro Bowl games.

Shaheed only played five games in 2024 after requiring season-ending surgery to repair his meniscus, but he will look to showcase the all-purpose talent that got him noticed by the Saints.

Jamie Martin 1989-1992

Martin has been credited with getting Weber State some national recognition due to his outstanding play at the quarterback position.

In his four-year career there, he was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big Sky MVP. He currently is WSU's all-time leader in total offense and fifth in the Big Sky in total offense with 12,287 and threw for 87 touchdowns.

By the time his career with WSU was over, he held 14 Big Sky single-game, season and career passing records while also finishing as the Division I-AA all-time leader in passing yards and total offense. 

Martin went on to have a 16-year NFL career, appearing in 53 games during that time and being a part of seven different teams.

Taron Johnson 2014-2017

Johnson is one of the few players in WSU history to move on from the program and have a very successful career in the NFL.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound cornerback played four years in Ogden and is one of the best defensive players to step onto the field for the team.

In 2017, Johnson was named a first-team All-American, the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, and was invited to the Reece's Senior Bowl. He is just the fourth player in the program's history to be invited.

Johnson was a big part of WSU, making back-to-back appearances in the playoffs and winning a title in 2017. By the end of his career at WSU, Johnson was the program's leader in [ass breakups with 42 and had six interceptions with 172 tackles.

Johnson was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round with the 121st pick of the 2018 NFL draft and has been a key piece as a nickelback in Sean McDermott's base nickel scheme. He signed a three-year contract extension this year.

Johnson has amassed 515 tackles, eight sacks, eight forced fumbles and six interceptions in his seven-year career at Buffalo,

Let us know what players come to mind when you think of Weber State by going to our X account and commenting. You can find it by clicking the link right here.