by Matt Cooke
The past week has been a banner week for the University of West Georgia athletic department in regards to the professional ranks, and that great week continued Sunday as senior All-American wide receiver and punt returner Denarius Appling signed a contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
The signing marks the third for a West Georgia athlete in the past two days, as Appling's teammates Tory Slater and Tyrell Adams were signed by the Seattle Seahawks shortly after the NFL draft ended on Saturday. It's also been a good year in the professional ranks for West Georgia, as 2013 All-American William Wright signed to play with the Arena Football League Las Vegas Outlaws late in the season last year. In addition, last week, sophomore Deonta Stocks of the men's basketball team, declared for the NBA Draft.
Appling developed into one of the most dangerous punt returners in the nation and rewrote the return game record book for the Wolves in his career. He ended his UWG career as the top punt returner in school history, including a 59-yard scoring return that capped the Wolves' quarterfinal playoff win over rival Valdosta State. He also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2014, including a 100-yard return vs. Florida Tech that was the longest scoring play in UWG football history.
Beyond his ability as a return specialist, Appling was also a productive running back and pass receiver during his UWG career. He was the Wolves' third leading rusher in 2014 with 66 carries for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Also, he caught 13 passes for 223 yards and three scores. Appling led UWG with 1,739 all-purpose yards, and finished his career with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards, the highest total in UWG history. He was a two-time All-American, earning honors in both 2011 and 2014.
The speedster from Griffin, Georgia wowed scouts when he ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at the West Georgia Pro Day back in March. He joins an Eskimos squad that is no stranger to the Gulf South Conference, joining Odell Willis from West Georgia as well as Otha Foster and Deon Lacey from West Alabama. Three of the four players, excluding only Willis, played for now UWG head coach Will Hall while in college. Appling is set to report to Edmonton to join the team on May 27.
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