The big game is just four days away and, as the Seahawks and Patriots get set to do battle in the 60th edition of the Super Bowl, several schools from across college football at all levels will be represented in Santa Clara this weekend. Of that vast spread, the FCS (and specifically the Big Sky Conference) will have its footprint all over this one. Seattle and New England both have rookies and bona fide draft picks from the subdivision on their teams and both also have some big name contributors.
A dozen former FCS standouts find themselves on the active rosters of the two Super Bowl teams this year. Here’s who they are and where they come from:
New England Patriots
Efton Chism III, WR – Eastern Washington
Receiver Efton Chism III out of Eastern Washington is one of three FCS rookies that will be on an active roster for this game. He came to New England as an undrafted free agent last offseason following a stellar college career with the Eagles in Cheney. Chism has appeared in ten games for the Patriots this year and has done a little bit of everything. He’s caught four passes for 95 yards along with a touchdown and has even attempted a pass. Where he has seen the most action, however, has been on kick returns of which he has 19 this year. With those 19, Chism has racked up 451 yards but has not taken one the distance yet.
Elijah Ponder, LB – Cal Poly
The other New England rookie in this game will also come from the Big Sky Conference. Ex-Cal Poly star Elijah Ponder has seen the field plenty in his first year, playing in 18 games for the Patriots defense. Ponder has strung together a productive year, authoring 27 tackles, four sacks and recovering three fumbles in the regular season and playoffs combined. Ponder has had a good balance of defensive and special teams reps this year and, while he may not necessarily be the feature piece on either, he is often a right there in the middle of the action.
Christian Elliss, LB – Idaho
After three seasons in Philadelphia, former Idaho linebacker Christian Elliss came to New England prior to the 2024 season and has been a big part of the defense since. Elliss has appeared in 34 games over the last two seasons for the Patriots, starting 15 of them. He posted a career best 110 tackles this year along with five defended passes, two forced fumbles and five QB hits. Elliss has played some of his best ball as of late, causing a huge turnover that led to points in the low-scoring AFC Championship game at Denver. He also has 16 stops in the playoffs alone and recovered a fumble in the Wild Card win over the Chargers. Elliss is all over the field and will likely play a big role on Sunday.
Marte Mapu, LB – Sacramento State
A third round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, linebacker Marte Mapu traded in his Sacramento State digs for Patriots ones three seasons ago. Mapu has been a nice addition to the New England defense, playing in 47 games over his first three years including all 20 this fall. He got in on 26 stops in 2025 and defended passes, intercepted one and forced a fumble. Mapu serves mainly as a rotational piece but plays his role very well. He has been quiet thus far this postseason defensively but has still made his impact felt on special teams.
Seattle Seahawks
Eric Saubert, TE – Drake
Former Drake standout Eric Saubert made arguably the play of the year for the Seahawks back in Week 16 with his overtime two-point conversion snag to beat the Los Angeles Rams. That win helped propel Seattle to the NFC’s #1 seed in the postseason. Saubert came to the organization this season after bouncing around with seven different teams from 2017 until now. He appeared in 13 games this year, hauling in four catches for 31 yards. Saubert will occasionally come in off the bench for the offense but sees most of his action on special teams.
Grey Zabel, OL – North Dakota State
Offensive guard Grey Zabel was the Seahawks’ first round selection in the 2025 Draft and has had a tremendous rookie season. Zabel, a former two-time national champion with NDSU, has fit right into front protecting quarterback Sam Darnold and paving way for the Seattle offense which has rushed for 110.3 yards per game. He has started every game this year and has seen 99% of the team’s offensive snap counts. He is an integral piece to the offensive line and will play a key role in what the Seahawks want to do this Sunday.
Jalen Sundell, C – North Dakota State
Also a vital component of the Seattle offensive line is Zabel’s former college teammate and center Jalen Sundell. Sundell came in from North Dakota State as well but, unlike Zabel, was not drafted. Instead he had to play mostly as a reserve last season before earning the primary starting job in 2025. Sundell saw his offensive snap count jump from a mere 57 a year ago to 735 this year. He has also seen an increase in his special teams reps. Sundell did miss some time this fall with a knee injury but has been back and starting since mid December.
Ty Okada, S – Montana State
An undrafted free agent out of Montana State in 2023, safety Ty Okada has done it the hard way to earn his spot in Seattle. After starting out on special teams, Okada has methodically worked his way up the Seahawks’ defensive depth chart and saw the most playing time of his young career thus far in 2025. He appeared in 17 games this year, making 46 tackles and getting in on 1.5 sacks. Okada also logged his first career interception this season, picking off a pass against Washington’s Jayden Daniels back in Week 9. He is currently a rotational piece in the secondary and will also appear in punt and kick coverage.
Cooper Kupp, WR – Eastern Washington
The most prominent and decorated FCS name in this year’s Super Bowl will be a guy who won the game’s MVP honors the last time he played in it. Receiver Cooper Kupp came over the Seattle last offseason from the Rams and has been a terrific addition. Kupp, in now his ninth NFL season out of Eastern Washington, has seen a resurgence in his career this season. He snagged 56 catches this year for a total of 689 yards and three touchdowns. Although he does not see quite the targets he used to in his heyday with Los Angeles, Kupp is still a scoring threat on any given play. A win on Sunday would give him his second ring.
Patrick O’Connell, LB – Montana
Linebacker Patrick O’Connell came to Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Montana and has earned his way into the defensive rotation this year. O’Connell has seen the field in 11 games on defense this year but has been in on 15 total counting special teams. He has logged 19 tackles this year including one for a loss and one sack. O’Connell has also been responsible for one QB hit. He will see the majority of his snaps in kick coverage, though.
Jason Myers, K – Marist
Kicker Jason Myers has been in the league for 11 years and has been a Seahawk since 2019. The two-time Pro Bowler hails from Marist where he kicked for the Red Foxes for four years. Myers is one of the best kickers in the NFL and has been for sometimes. In 2022 and this season he finished as the league’s top scorer. He also finished with a perfect 100% on field goals in 2020. This season Myers has again been terrific in Seattle, making 44 of his 51 field goal tries and knocking all three in during this postseason. He has a season long make of 57 under his belt but has hit from as far as 61 in his career. Myers has also not missed a single PAT this year. He is perhaps the Seahawks’ most important weapon in close games and could play a pivotal role in the outcome this weekend.
Rashid Shaheed, WR – Weber State
Acquired in a midseason trade with New Orleans, ex-Weber State speedster Rashid Shaheed as been huge for the Seahawks down the stretch in their Super Bowl run. Shaheed started both playoffs games thus far with a bang, housing a 95-yard kickoff return on the opening play against San Francisco in the Divisional Round and hauling in a long 51-yard pass on the initial drive of the NFC Championship against Los Angeles. Shaheed has been great for Seattle this year, catching 16 passes for 239 yards. He has also been responsible for three special teams touchdowns since coming over in the trade. Shaheed will do most of his work in the return game but will see plenty of snaps on offense as well.
