Two former Gulf South Conference football standouts, Dohnte Meyers and Ted Hurst III, were named to the 53-man active roster ahead of Week 1 action of the 2026 NFL season.
Meyers, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals and Delta State alum, enters his first season with the franchise and in the NFL. He joined the Bengals in January 2026 after spending the previous two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
During his time in Canada, Meyers played in 19 games totaling 89 receptions for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns. A native of Duluth, Ga., also contributed on the special teams making 11 kickoff returns for 319 yards and nine punt returns for 94 yards. Meyers' 2025 season was a breakout year as he recorded 65 catches for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns, highlighted by four 100-yard games, while helping the Roughriders win the CFL's Grey Cup.
DOHNTE MEYERS' PROFILES: DELTA STATE | CINCINNATI BENGALS
Meyers began his collegiate career at the NCAA FCS level, playing 12 games for Presbyterian College in 2019. As a member of the Blue Hose, he had 37 receptions for 485 yards and five touchdowns. He completed his career at Delta State where he was a two-time first-team All-GSC selection, finishing with 120 receptions, 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns in 24 total games.
Hurst is a wide receiver who played two seasons for Valdosta State before finishing his collegiate career at Georgia State. The native of Savannah, Ga., enters his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after selecting him in the third round (84th overall) in the 2026 NFL Draft.
During his time in Valdosta, Hurst played 25 games for the Blazers making 60 catches and totaling 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2023 alone, he caught 38 passes for 596 yards, helping the Valdosta State go 12-2 and win a GSC title before advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA DII Football Championship.
TED HURST III'S PROFILES: VALDOSTA STATE | TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
At Georgia State, Hurst's career was ranked among the program's all-time leaders in receiving yards (1,965/fourth), reception (127/fifth), touchdown receptions (15/fourth), and 100-yard receiving games (eight/fourth). He also earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2025 after leading the Panthers with 71 catches for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns.
Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season will see both players go head-to-head as the Bengals host Bucs at Paycor Stadium (1 pm ET) and will be just the second time since their college days that Meyers and Hurst will face each other.
Prior to the 2026 season, 29 former Gulf South student-athletes have appeard in the NFL since 2015, including Kenny Moore II, Tyreek Hill, Janoris Jenkins, Alex Amrah, D'Anthony Bell, Matt Gotel, and more. Since the conference began sponsoring football in 1970, a total of 98 former student-athletes have played a regular season or NFL playoff game.
The Gulf South Conference celebrates its 56th season of football in 2026. The GSC has appeared in the NCAA Division II football championship game six times in the last 10 seasons and leads all DII conferences with 13 national titles.