The Boston Herald is reporting that two former Naval Academy standouts are expected to be joining the New England Patriots very soon.
Wide receiver Tyree Barnes and running back Eric Kettani — each commissioned as officers in 2009 — will be reporting to Patriots headquarters in Foxboro, Mass., this week, according to the paper. Barnes and Kettani both served the mandatory two years on active-duty that the Defense Department requires of service academy graduates seeking to play professional sports.
Both players, along with fellow class of 2009 grad Shun White, were kept on New England’s Reserve/Military list the past two seasons. White, who at last check was serving aboard the destroyer Stout, is still on active-duty. But he’s expected to join the Patriots later this year, according to the Herald.
Former Army star hoping for a shot
Collin Mooney, who set Army’s single season rushing record in 2008, is also now eligible to join an NFL team. His agent has been talking to teams and he is hoping to be in somebody’s camp by the weekend, according to the Times Herald-Record.
Currently stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Mooney is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Caleb Campbell. A 2008 West Point graduate, Campbell made the Detroit Lions last year as a linebacker after serving for two years on active duty. He’s the only West Point grad currently in the NFL.
Hall a free agent
Former Marine Ahmard Hall, the only prior enlisted player in the NFL last year, is now officially on the open market. The unrestricted free agent fullback has spent his entire five-year career with the Tennessee Titans, and he’s open to coming back to the team.
“I would love to retire as a Titan, and I don’t have a problem putting that out there,” Hall told The Tennessean. “But if I land with another team they will have my full allegiance and I will be 100 percent with them.”
Hall is considered one of the top fullbacks in the league, having helped Chris Johnson run for over 2,000 yards in 2009.
