CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina University's CJ Marable has signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL).
 
Marable becomes the 17th Chanticleer to sign a contract with an NFL team and is the second player off the 2020 Sun Belt Championship team to join an NFL organization along with Tarron Jackson who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
 
A two-time 2020 All-Sun Belt first team pick at running back and all-purpose back, Marable was also a two-time Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll selection last season in which he led the Sun Belt East Division Champions with 1,227 total all-purpose yards - 887 rushing, 228 receiving, and 112 kick return yards. He averaged 102.3 all-purpose yards per game and totaled 19 touchdowns on the season, which was first in the Sun Belt and tied for fourth nationally, with 12 coming on the ground and seven via the passing game.
 
The Georgia native also led the league in total points (114), points per game (9.5), was tied for first in the Sun Belt in rushing touchdowns (12), and was second in rushing yards (887), which also ranked 20th nationally. His 19 total touchdowns were also tied for the fourth-most in all of FBS in 2020 and tied for the third-most in a single season in CCU program history.

In his three years in the CCU backfield, Marable rushed for 2,691 yards, which is second in Coastal Carolina's program history behind only De'Angelo Henderson with 4,635 yards, and 29 touchdowns. He also recorded 10 100-yard rushing games for the Chants, again second only behind Henderson's 25 from 2013-16.
 
Marable also caught 84 passes for 703 yards and 12 touchdowns in the passing game and closed out his career at CCU with a streak of 32-straight games with at least one reception.
 
His 29 rushing touchdowns and 41 total touchdowns as a Chant both rank fourth overall in program history.
 
A 2017 All-Big South first team pick as a freshman at Presbyterian College, he was also named the Big South Freshman of the Week three times.
 
Over his four-year collegiate career, Marable totaled 3,729 career rushing yards combined over his time at both Coastal Carolina (2018-20) and Presbyterian (2017).
 
Chants in the NFL
Tyler Thigpen – 2007, Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings (7th Round)
Quinton Teal – 2007, Signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers
Jerome Simpson – 2008, Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals (2nd Round)
Mike Tolbert – 2008, Signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers
Maurice Simpkins – 2010, Signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers
Josh Norman – 2012, Drafted by the Carolina Panthers (5th Round)
Jamie Childers – 2012, Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Rams
Lorenzo Taliaferro – 2014, Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens (4th Round)
Matt Hazel – 2014, Drafted by the Miami Dolphins (6th Round)
Marrio Norman – 2014, Signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens
Denzel Rice – 2015, Signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles
De'Angelo Henderson – 2017, Drafted by the Denver Broncos (6th Round)
Alex Scearce – 2017, Signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears
Anthony Chesley -2019, Signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals
Sterling Johnson – 2020, Signed as a free agent with the New York Jets
Tarron Jackson – 2021, Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles (6th Round)
CJ Marable – 2021, Signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears

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