BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Former WKU Football players Devon Key (Kansas City Chiefs), Jordan Meredith (Los Angeles Rams) and Dionté Ruffin (Chicago Bears) signed as free agents on Saturday evening following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Key is believed to be the fourth former WKU player to become a Chief, joining Deon Yelder (2018-20), Prince Charles Iworah (2017) and Bobby Sippio (2007). Kansas City went 14-2 and was the AFC Champion in 2020 after winning Super Bowl LIV the previous season. The Chiefs' defensive coordinator is Steve Spagnuolo, who will enter his third campaign with the club in 2021.
The Lexington native capped his Hilltopper career as one of the most accomplished defenders in program history. In four years, he started 49 of a possible 50 games at safety, including 43 straight dating back to the 2017 season. With 350 career tackles, he set the program's FBS Era (since 2009) record, surpassing Andrew Jackson's 326 tackles from 2010-13. Those 350 career tackles also placed him 10th on the all-time charts in WKU's 102-season history, and ranked fourth among FBS players who were active for the 2020 season.
As a senior, Key recorded 92 total tackles (55 solo, 37 assisted) to lead the Hilltoppers, rank third in Conference USA and 23rd in the nation. He added three pass breakups to bring his career total to 19 and an interception in the LendingTree Bowl to push his career number to six. His 15 total tackles vs. Liberty were a career-high and he added four more double-digit performances that upped his career total to 12.
Meredith will team up with fellow Hilltopper tight end Tyler Higbee in Los Angeles. He is believed to be the seventh former WKU player to become a Ram, joining Higbee, Darrell Williams, Jr. (2018), Omarius Bryant (2017), Kadeem Jones (2014), Mike McCoy (1974) and Jim Burt (1965). Los Angeles went 10-6 and made it to the NFC Divisional playoff round in 2020, defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round before losing to the Green Bay Packers.
The Bowling Green native started every single game of the 2020, 2019 and 2018 campaigns – 37 consecutively – to cap his Hilltopper career, totaling 2,574 total snaps at right guard. He was voted to the 2020 All-Conference USA Second Team after obtaining Honorable Mention status in 2019. He was a PFF College Second Team All-American in 2020 after earning an Honorable Mention nod in 2019.
According to PFF College's Premium Stats, Meredith posted an 81.5 overall blocking grade, 83.9 pass-blocking grade and an 83.9 run-blocking grade in 2020. Among FBS guards, he ranked eighth in overall blocking grade, 13th in pass-blocking grade and seventh in run blocking grade. In 2019, meanwhile, He led C-USA guards across the board with a 77.8 overall blocking grade, 88.9 pass-blocking grade and 76.9 run-blocking grade. His pass-blocking grade led all guards in the nation, while his run-blocking grade was 14th and overall blocking grade ranked 12th.
Ruffin will team up with fellow Hilltopper linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe in Chicago. He is believed to be the fifth former WKU player to become a Bear, joining Iyiegbuniwe, Curtis Hamilton (2008), Anthony Oakley (2005) and Virgil Livers (1975). Also a defensive back, Livers enjoyed one of the most accomplished NFL careers by any Hilltopper, starting 60 games for Chicago from 1975-79 with 12 career interceptions and six fumble recoveries. The Bears went 8-8 and earned a playoff berth in 2020, losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round.
The Kenner, La., native started every game for WKU for the second straight season in 2020, helping lead one of the top pass defenses in the nation. He made 23 total tackles (18 solo, five assisted) while adding 11 pass breakups to lead the Hilltoppers, which ranked second in C-USA and tied for fifth in the nation. He tied a career-high with three pass breakups vs. Liberty, then added two pass breakups in games at UAB and vs. FIU later in the season. In the league's postseason awards, he was voted Second Team All-CUSA by the conference's coaches.
He made his first career interception at #10/11 BYU against Heisman Trophy hopeful (and #2 overall NFL Draft pick) Zach Wilson, breaking the quarterback's all-time program-record streak of 184 consecutive passes without an interception. Ruffin returned it for 28 yards, deep into the red zone, leading to a Hilltopper touchdown on the following play. He had a standout game overall against the Cougars, playing all 69 defensive snaps while allowing only one reception for six yards on seven targets against him, lining up against the likes of star wide receivers Dax Milne and Gunner Romney.
Along with Key, Meredith, Ruffin, Yelder, Higbee and Iyiegbuniwe, WKU currently boasts six other NFL players to make 11 total: Jack Doyle (Indianapolis Colts), George Fant (New York Jets), Forrest Lamp (Buffalo Bills), Taywan Taylor (Houston Texans) and Mike White (New York Jets).
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