Jamison HensleyJul 26, 2025, 06:00 AM ETCloseJamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens.
He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.Follow on X
Jamison HensleyJul 26, 2025, 06:00 AM ET
CloseJamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens.
He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.Follow on X
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There was a time when then-Alabama A&M offensive line coach Markus Lawrence held his breath wheneverCarson Vinsonknocked on his office door. Lawrence feared that, at some point, the gifted 6-foot-7, 314-pound offensive tackle was going to tell him that he was entering the transfer portal.
But, despite the trend of promising players leaving for bigger schools and bigger paydays, Vinson stayed in Huntsville, Alabama, to start all four seasons and decided to take the far-less-traveled road to the NFL. This year, he was the only player from a historically Black college and university to be selected in the NFL draft, when theBaltimore Ravenspicked him in the fifth round.
“He could have left us and chased the money,” said Lawrence, who is now the offensive line coach at South Carolina State.
“He instead chased the commitment and the loyalty.”
Vinson takes pride in the fact that he comes from a HBCU school, but he says there’s no pride in being the first HBCU player drafted since 2023. He insists the NFL overlooked many players this year from the 21 HBCU schools that compete at the FCS level.
Vinson’s hope is that his success will clear a path for more HBCU players to reach the NFL. He doesn’t want players to transfer to bigger-name programs if it is not what they truly want.
The key for Vinson was capitalizing on opportunities against top competition.
After being the first HBCU player invited to the Senior Bowl in two years, Vinson impressed in one-on-one drills in January, including a dominant rep against Bengals first-round pickShemar Stewart. As the only HBCU player at the NFL combine in February, he finished among the top 15 offensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (5.2 seconds), the broad jump (9 feet, 3 inches) and the three-cone drill (7.51 seconds).
For 25 push-ups Alabama A&M LT Carson Vinson vs Texas A&M DL Shemar Stewart. Great rep by Vinson.
Watch the footwork.pic.twitter.com/0J57F8Slgo
Throughout the draft process, he didn’t feel the weight of being the only HBCU player in Mobile or Indianapolis. He felt support. Vinson estimated that he heard from someone from every HBCU school this offseason, whether it was a call, text or social media message.
“Being from an HBCU, it is so special,” Vinson said.
“We have our rivalries, but after we get past it, we’re all one big family.”
Source: Espnnfl
