Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Four former Hutchinson Community College football players have signed undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams after this past weekend's NFL Draft in Detroit.

Defensive back Ro Torrence has signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Defensive lineman Tramel Walthouer has signed with Baltimore Ravens. Defensive lineman Rodney Matthews has signed with the Green Bay Packers and Isaiah Iton has signed with the Tennessee Titans.

These four players are the 48th, 49th, 50th and 51st former Blue Dragons to be drafted or signed as undrafted free agents in the program's history.

RO TORRENCE – Seattle Seahawks
After Hutchinson, Torrence originally transferred to Auburn University and then to Arizona State before going to the 2024 NFL Combine and ultimately signing with the Seattle Seahawks.

With the Blue Dragons, all Torrence did was win 2020-21 National Defensive Player of the Year honors and help Hutchinson win a national championship.

The Bessemer, Alabama native helped produce a defense that ranked No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 7 in total defense in the nation in the 2020-21 Covid-challenged spring season and helped the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons defeat No. 2 Snow College 29-27 in the NJCAA Championship Game on June 5 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Torrence had a huge second-quarter interception in the championship game when the Blue Dragons were trailing 14-3. For the game, Torrence had three total tackles and the interception in the championship contest.

Torrence didn't post the huge overall numbers one might associate with this honor. His numbers simply don't tell the entire story of Torrence's tremendous sophomore season, but they do speak volumes to the respect opposing teams gave him throughout the 2020-21 season.

Torrence had 26 total tackles in eight games started this season. Torrence broke up five passes with one interception During the regular season, Torrence was hardly targeted over the final five games of the regular season, thus cutting the field in half for opposing offenses.

Torrence is the third Blue Dragon to originally sign with the Seahawks, joining Claude George (2013-14, UDFA in 2017) and B.J. Emmons (2017, UDFA, 2020).

TRAMEL WALTHOUR – Baltimore Ravens
Walthour played one season for the Blue Dragons in 2018 where he garnered 16 total tackles and a quarterback sack in 10 games for Hutchinson.

Walthour spent five seasons at the University of Georgia. He played in 13 games last season while starting in five of them. He finished his career with 49 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back national titles throughout his career.

Walthouer is the fourth Blue Dragon to start his career in the Ravens' organization. The others are Phil Hawkins (2001, UDFA 2024); Meshak Williams (2009-10, UDFA 2013) and Jonathan White (2019, UDFA 2023).

RODNEY MATTHEWS – Green Bay Packers
Matthews was a defensive tackle for the Blue Dragons in the 2019 seasons, where he earned all-Jayhawk Conference honors. Matthews played in 10 games for the Blue Dragons had had 19 total tackles with 2.5 quarterback sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as a Blue Dragon.

Matthews moved on to Ohio University where he played in 41 games. Matthews had 71 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He snagged his first career interception during Ohio's historic victory over the Iowa State Cyclones (Sept. 16, 2023).

Matthews joins a long just of former Blue Dragons to start with the Packers. The others are Kevin Barry (1997-98, UDFA 2002), Angelo Pease (2011, UDFA 2013), Caliph Brice (2017-18, UDFA 2021); Devonte Wyatt (2019; 1st-round 2022).

ISAIAH ITON – Tennessee Titans
Iton never played a game for the Blue Dragons but was with the team in the fall of 2020, the Covid pandemic season. After taking care of his course work at HutchCC, Iton transferred to the University of Mississippi and ultimately to Rutgers University for the 2023 season.

Iton started all 13 games last season after transferring from Ole Miss. He had 38 tackles and one sack.

Iton is the third Blue Dragon to start his professional career with the Titans, joining Jason Gamble (1994-95, UDFA in 1997) and Toby Johnson (2012-13, UDFA in 2015).