Former St. Aug player signs with Panthers
Former Saint Augustine’s University standout Justin Wells signed with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League as a free agent on Wednesday, Aug. 8.
Wells is wearing No. 79 for the Panthers. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds on their web site. He is one of three players from HBCUs on the training camp roster.
Wells was a starting offensive guard on one of the best St. Aug teams in school history. A native of Baltimore, Md., he was a key member of an offensive unit which set modern school single season records for points (28.3) and total offensive yards (318.5) in 2010. That season, the Falcons won the Pioneer Bowl, defeating nationally-ranked Fort Valley State 20-9. It was the first bowl win in school history.
Wells was an All-CIAA first-team selection as a senior in 2010. He was also named to the Don Hansen All-Super Region I third team.
Wells was selected to play in two postseason all-star games as a college senior – the Dixie Gridiron Classic and the HBCU Classic. He was rated a top NFL prospect from an HBCU school in an espn.com article in February 2011. Wells graduated from Saint Augustine’s University, called Saint Augustine’s College at the time, with a political science degree in May 2011.
