CONWAY, S.C. – Two former Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in
C.J. Brewer and
Silas Kelly were drafted during the 2023 XFL Draft at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nev., while fellow Chant
Alex Spillum signed to play overseas.
Brewer, who played this season for the Buffalo Bills, was selected by the Houston Roughnecks in the 10th round (defensive front seven), while Kelly was chosen by the St. Louis Battlehawks in the sixth round (open phase).
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Jets in 2022, Brewer earned a spot on the Buffalo Bills practice squad and was elevated to the 54-man roster early in the season. He played in one game, totaling two tackles in a 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in week two.
A 2021 Pro Football Network (PFN) All-American honorable mention, 2020 Associated Press (AP) All-America third-team selection, and 2020 Phil Steele Honorable Mention All-American, Brewer was also a three-time All-Sun Belt honoree while at CCU, earning first-team honors in both 2020 and 2021 and third-team accolades in 2019.
In his five years at Coastal, the two-time team captain played in 58 games. He totaled 230 tackles, including 90 solo stops and 140 assisted tackles, along with 32.5 tackles-for-loss and 16.0 sacks. He also added one interception, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and caught a touchdown pass in the Chants' first-ever win over a Power-5 program in Kansas in 2020.
His 230 career tackles rank eighth all-time in CCU history, while his 140 assisted tackles are fifth in Coastal's career record books. He also ranks fifth all-time in career sacks with 16.0, fifth in tackles-for-loss with 32.5, and third in quarterback hurries with 20.
Kelly, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns, was a two-time co-captain and the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year. While at CCU, he was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection, earning first-team honors in 2021, second-team accolades in 2020, and honorable mention recognition in 2017 and 2018.
In 2021, Kelly led the Chants and ranked third in the Sun Belt with 110 total tackles and an average of 8.5 per game. He finished the season with 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, and a SportsCenter Top-10 (No. 3) interception at South Alabama (Nov. 26).
Kelly, who played in the 2022 Hula Bowl Senior All-Star Game, became just the third Chant in program history to total 300 career tackles, finishing his career with 340 career tackles which rank third all-time in CCU history. His 160 solo tackles and 180 assisted tackles both rank third in CCU's career record books, while his 10.0 sacks rank ninth and his 24.5 tackles-for-loss rank 10th all-time.
Kelly was voted by his peers at Coastal as the 2022 Presidential Student-Athlete of the Year and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, and a member of the 2022 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Society.
Spillum signed with the Berlin Thunder of the European League of Football. The former Chant most recently played with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the German Football League (GFL), where he helped lead them to a first-place finish in the South Division and win the German Bowl XLIII with an undefeated record.
The Minnesota native trained with the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers following his collegiate career at CCU, in which he was a two-time All-Sun Belt third-team selection and picked up all-conference honors from Phil Steele in both 2020 and 2021.
A three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for his work in the classroom, Spillum totaled 64 tackles, including 30 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and two blocked kicks in 2021.
In his four years on the "Surf Turf", Spillum played in 46 games. He tallied 184 tackles, including 101 solo stops and 83 assisted tackles, to go along with 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sacks, seven interceptions, 17 passes defended, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks.
The group joins a long list of former Chanticleers currently playing professionally in Isaiah Likely (NFL – Baltimore Ravens), Tarron Jackson (NFL – Philadelphia Eagles), Jeffrey Gunter (NFL – Cincinnati Bengals), Anthony Chesley (NFL – Tampa Buccaneers (practice squad), CJ Marable (USFL – Birmingham Stallions), Enock Makonzo (CFL – Edmonton Elks), and Jaivon Heiligh (CFL – Winnipeg Blue Bombers (practice squad).
For complete coverage of CCU football, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalFootball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @goccusports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
