How did a 28-year-old from Jonesboro, Georgia, end up punting the pigskin at Idaho State?

It's a unique story that involves Sean Cheney serving a Mormon mission in Pocatello, Idaho, according to the Idaho State Journal.

Raised by medical professional parents, including a mother who insisted her son pick a position with little or no contact, the multi-sport athlete settled on being a kicker in high school.

Cheney briefly suited up for Georgia Tech before deciding to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was not prepared to read his destination.

"I was completely shocked," Cheney told the Idaho State Journal. "It said Pocatello, and I'm like, 'that's foreign for sure.'"

Somehow he adjusted to the culture. After his mission, Cheney worked for a time as a ramp agent, chucking luggage for Delta Airlines in Atlanta.

Cheney returned to Idaho and a walk-on opportunity opened up at Idaho State. Even at 26 years old, Cheney didn't hesitate and won the job. Since then he has become one of the top Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) punters in the nation, the article said. Click here for the entire 2016 article.

Cheney is one of more than 100 returned Mormon missionaries playing on FCS, Division II and Division III college football rosters this season. This list is not all-inclusive.

In the FCS, Southern Utah has 33 returned missionaries; Weber State has 30; Idaho State has nine; and the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas) has one.

In the Division II ranks, Dixie State College has six. Southern Virginia University, a Division III program, has 33 returned missionaries.

If you know of a returned missionary college football player we have missed, please send an email to ttoone@deseretnews.com with the player's name, his team and where he served his mission.

Football Championship Subdivision

Idaho State (9)

Colton Belnap: Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS), Fr., DB. Served in Monterrey, Mexico

Austin Campbell: Blackfoot, Idaho (Blackfoot HS), So., TE. Served in Irvine, California.

Sean Cheney: Jonesboro, Georgia (Jonesboro HS), Jr., P. Served in Pocatello, Idaho.

Dallen Collins: Caldwell, Idaho (Valley View HS), So., OL. Served in Santiago, Chile.

Alex Espinoza: Salt Lake City (West HS), Fr., DB. Served in Cavite, Philippines.

Nate Page: Pocatello, Idaho (Highland HS), So., TE. Served in Puebla, Mexico.

Kelton Simons: Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS), So., OL. Served in Tokyo.

Garrett Smith: Shelley, Idaho (Shelley HS), So., OL. Served in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Dakota Wilson: St. Anthony, Idaho (South Fremont HS), So., OL. Served in South Korea.

Southern Utah (33)

Lehi Afatasi: Kearns, Utah (Kearns HS), So. DL. Served in Fiji.

Toa Afatasi: Kearns, Utah (Kearns HS), Sr. LB. Served in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Chinedu Ahanonu: West Jordan, Utah (West Jordan HS), Jr. LB. Served in West Indies and Trinidad Port of Spain.

Josh Anderson: St. George, Utah (Deseret Hills HS), So., OL. Served in Atlanta.

Kyle Anderson: Las Vegas (Silverado HS), Jr., LB. Served in Mexico City.

Logan Baker: Annabella, Utah (South Sevier HS), Sr., LB. Served in Mexico City.

Patrick Baker: Annabella, Utah (South Sevier HS), So., LB. Served in Baguio, Philippines.

Chance Bearnson: Cedar City (Cedar HS), Sr., DL. Served in Alabama.

Nicholas Colson: Gilbert, Arizona (Higley HS), Fr., TE. Served in Puerto Rico.

William Daines: Centerville, Utah (Viewmont HS), Fr., OL. Served in Nashville, Tennessee.

Chandler Dowell: Phoenix (Desert Vista HS), Jr., LS. Served in Honduras.

Jeffrey Faletoi: Salt Lake City (Olympus HS), Fr., DE. Served in Samoa.

James Felila: Kearns (Kearns HS), So., RB. Served in Houston.

Kyle Hannemann: Alpine, Utah (Lone Peak HS), Sr., S. Served in Tahiti.

McCoy Hill: Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS/BYU), Jr., TE. Served in McAllen, Texas.

Garrett Kovach: Fort Collins, Colorado (Rocky Mtn. HS/Snow College), Sr., OL. Served in Indiana.

Sione Lapuaho: West Valley, Utah (Hunter HS), Fr., OL. Served in Leeds, England.

Zach Larsen: Draper, Utah (Jordan HS), So., OL. Served in Finland.

Tevita Loamanu: Taylorsville, Utah (Riverton HS), Fr., DL. Served in Tahiti.

Landen Measom: South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS), Fr., WR. Served in Ecuador.

Austin Mikkelson: St. George, Utah (Pine View HS), Jr., OL. Served in Cleveland, Ohio.

Michael Needham: St. George, Utah (Deseret Hills HS), Sr., LB. Served in Monterrey, Mexico.

Taylor Nelson: Vancouver, Washington (Union HS), Sr., LB. Served in Santa Maria, Brazil.

Micah Ngatuvai: Provo (Mountain View HS), Fr., OL. Served in Hawaii.

PJ Nu'usa: Rose Park, Utah (East HS), So., DL. Served in Bolivia.

Logan Parker: South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS), Jr., TE. Served in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dawson Pedersen: Highland, Utah (Springville HS), Fr., TE. Served in Sydney, Australia.

Tannon Pedersen: Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS), Sr., S. Served in Malaga, Spain.

Taylor Pili: West Valley City, Utah (Granger HS), Sr., DL. Served in New York City.

Anu Pole'o: Anchorage, Alaska (no school listed), Sr., DL. Served in Santa Maria, Brazil.

Grady Sami: Colorado Springs, Colorado (Sierra HS), Jr., OL. Served in Houston.

Lloyd Stephens: West Weber, Utah (Fremont HS), Jr., DL. Served in Mexico City.

Aaron Zwahlen: Modesto, California (Thomas Downy HS/Hawaii), So., QB. Served in Baltimore.

Weber State (30)

Devan Alldredge: Castle Rock, Colorado (Castle Rock HS), Sr., OL. Served in Santiago, Chile.

Jantz Arbon: Pleasant View, Utah (Weber HS), Jr., S. Served in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Justus Brown: Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS), Jr., LB. Served in Tijuana, Mexico.

Stefan Cantwell: South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS), Sr., QB. Served in Spokane, Washington.

Tyler Downs: Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS), Fr., OL. Served in San Jose, California.

Breckin Gunter: Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS), Fr., LB. Served in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Cameron Hansen: Taylorsville, Utah (Juan Diego HS), Fr., Served in Indianapolis.

Ty Hinds: Kaysville, Utah (Davis HS), Fr., S. Served in Nashville, Tennessee.

Zach Hymas: Longdale, Nevada (Moapa Valley HS), Fr., QB. Served in Seattle.

Alema Key: Springville, Utah (Springville HS), Sr., LB. Served in Morristown, New Jersey.

Luke Latteier: Salt Lake City (Cottonwood HS), So., S. Served in Samoa.

Brady May: Heyburn, Idaho (Minico HS), Jr., FB. Served in Puebla, Mexico.

Cole McGinnis: Gooding, Idaho (Gooding HS), Fr., DL. Served in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Braden Miles: Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS), Fr., QB. Served in Washington, D.C.

Gordon Moimoi: Maplewood, Minnesota (Timpview HS), So., DL. Served in Apia, Samoa.

Conner Mortensen: Overton, Nevada (Moapa Valley HS), Fr., LB. Served in the Dominican Republic.

Clay Moss: Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS), Fr., RB. Served in Colombia.

McKay Murphy: Alpine, Utah (Lone Peak HS), Sr., DT. Served in Louisville, Kentucky.

Carter Nielson: Henderson, Nevada (Green Valley HS), Fr., OL. Served in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Likio Pope: Orem, Utah (Provo HS), Sr., DT. Served in San Fernando, California.

Tui Satuala: Bountiful, Utah (Bountiful HS), Sr., TE. Served in Carlsbad, California.

Jared Schiess: Manti, Utah (Manti HS), Fr., DL. Served in Lima, Peru.

Brady Simpson: West Richland, Washington (West Richland HS) Sr., OL. Served in Joao Pessoa, Brazil.

Filipe Sitake: Orem, Utah (Mountain View HS), Jr., DL. Served in Tonga.

Cam Smith: Aurora, Colorado (Bingham HS), Fr., RB. Served in Guatemala.

Xavier Stilson: Layton, Utah (Layton HS), So., OL. Served in Brazil.

Hyrum Tapusoa: West Valley City, Utah (Granger HS), Fr., OL. Served in Houston.

Kawika Tupuola: Farmington, Utah (Davis HS), So., DL. Served in Apia, Samoa.

Jonah Williams: Meridian, Idaho (Rocky Mountain HS), So., DE. Served in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Stetson Wood: Layton, Utah (Layton HS), Fr., TE. Served in Edmonton, Canada.

University of the Incarnate Word (1)

Dax Eisinger: Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS/Snow College), Jr., LB. Served in Jackson Mississippi.

Division II

Dixie State (6)

Blake Barney: St. George, Utah (Dixie HS), So., QB. Served in Scotland.

Tanner Hammond: Bountiful, Utah (Woods Cross HS), Fr., QB. Served in Malaga, Spain.

Braden Petersen: Draper, Utah (Alta HS), Sr., OL. Served in St. Louis,.

Tevia Tolutau: Provo (Timpview HS/Weber State), Jr., OL. (Mission unknown)

Shane Hardy: Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS/Snow College), Sr. OL. Served in Berlin, Germany.

Cody Hobbs: Ogden (Roy HS), Fr., TE. Served in Orsorno, Chile.

Division III

Southern Virginia (33)

Cody Barnes: Agua Dulce, California (Vasquez HS), Sr., WR. Served in Santiago, Chile.

Connor Bezzant: Sammamish, Washington (BYU-Idaho), So, DE. Served in Cincinnati.

Matthew Blake: Provo (Timpview HS), So., LB. Served in Berlin, Germany.

Spencer Butler: Beaufort, South Carolina (Georgia Southern), Sr., OL. Served in Reno, Nevada.

Matthew Call: Amanda, Ohio (Teays Valley HS), Fr., LB. Served in Mexico City.

Michael Carroll: McKinney, Texas (Liberty HS), Sr, WR. Served in Barcelona, Spain.

Skyler Cloward: Grantsville, Utah (Dixie State), So., DE. Served in Rosario, Argentina.

Nate Covert: Scottsdale, Arizona (Cactus Shadows HS), So., OL. Served in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Adam Davis: Salem, Utah (American Leadership Academy), So., LB. Served in Portland, Oregon.

Jerrett Dunlap III: Palymra, Virginia (Fluvanna County HS), Sr, C. Served in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Seth Hanson: Carlsbad, California (Boise State), Sr., RB. Served in Billings, Montana.

Jackson Hatch: Layton, Utah (Layton HS), Fr., K. Served in Recife, Brazil.

Jacob Heath: Lampoc, California (Cabrillo HS), So., LB. Served in Arequipa, Peru.

Stockton Hiatt: St. George, Utah (Dixie HS), Sr., LB. Served in Billings, Montana.

Sam Horman: Idaho Falls, Idaho (Hillcrest HS), Sr., P. Served in Madagascar.

Bill Katoa: Washington, Utah (Snow College), Sr., LB. Served in Cauayan, Philippines.

Caeden Knight: Midlothian, Virginia (Trinity Episcopal School), So., RB. Served in Nicaragua.

John Mellor: Colfax, Washington (Colfax HS), Jr., LB. Served in Budapest, Hungary.

Simi Moala: Tu'anuku Vava'u, Tonga (Lackawana CC), So., FB. Served in Philadelphia.

Jewka Patetefa: Salt Lake City (East HS), Fr., FB. Served in the West Indies.

Brigham Peisley: Taylorsville, Utah (Taylorsville HS), Sr., WR. Served in Tijuana, Mexico.

Benjamin Petty: Greenwood, Indiana (Center Grove HS), So., LB. Served in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Spenser Porter: Brandon, Mississippi (Brandon HS), Fr., OL. Served in Angeles, Philippines.

Cory Prince: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (The American School of Dubai), Sr., WR. Served in Ogden, Utah.

Riley Rohloff: Farmington, Utah (Viewmont HS), Fr., S. Served in Oakland, California.

Anthony Siilata: Laie, Hawaii (Snow College), Sr., DL. Served in Apia, Samoa.

Jack Simiskey: Lake Jackson, Texas (Brazos Wood HS), Fr., WR. Served in Suva, Fiji.

Matthew Speelman: Cataldo, Idaho (Kootenai HS), Fr., FB. Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Samuel Tetterton: Chesterfield, Virginia (Manchestor HS), Sr., OL. Served in Saltillo, Mexico.

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Trayson Thomas: Beaver Creek, Ohio (Henry E. Lackey HS), Fr., FB. Served in Denver.

Aaron Vinson: Potosi, Missouri (Potosi HS), So., WR. Served in Kingston, Jamaica.

Reagan Way: Queen Creek, Arizona (Red Mountain HS), Fr., S. Served in Bahi Blanca, Argentina.

Chandler Young: Nampa, Idaho (Skyview HS), Fr., CB. Served in Tucson, Arizona.

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