(STATS) - That South Carolina State produced the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard wasn't surprising to anybody at the school given its success in the draft this decade.

Over 135 schools have played at the FCS level during the 2010s and only Appalachian State and Montana, with seven draft selections each, have more than South Carolina State's six. App State, now an FBS member, and Montana have combined for five FCS national titles and 10 championship game appearances; South Carolina State plays in the smaller Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

"Guys from our school can get drafted ahead of players from bigger programs, if they have their stuff in order," Pough told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg in 2016. "They can follow their dreams; but it's not necessarily about where you go to begin with, but more about what you do when you get there."