When Brandon Coleman left Rutgers last year after his redshirt junior season, he vowed to return to earn his degree. Coleman kept his word, as the New Orleans Saints wide receiver is one of 22 members of the football program set to graduate this weekend.

The football team will hold a graduation ceremony on Saturday at the Hale Center. On Sunday, the university's commencement takes place at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Coleman declared early for the NFL after the 2013 season. A three-time academic all-conference selection, Coleman took six credits online last spring while he trained for the NFL Draft.

A projected mid-round pick, Coleman unexpectedly went undrafted. He signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent and spent the season on the team's practice squad.

Coleman was promoted to the active roster before the Saints' regular season finale in December. Coleman wasn't active for the game, but the move provided him a one-week pay boost and signaled the Saints' interest in the 6-foot-6, 225-pounder for the future. Coleman earned approximately $125,000 last year.

Coleman has an opportunity to make the Saints active roster after the team traded tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Kenny Stills this offseason and didn't add a receiver through free agency or the draft. Saints coach Sean Payton reportedly is high on the potential of Coleman and some of the team's other young receivers.

With things coming together on the field, Coleman didn't lose focus on his off-field commitments. The Forestville, Md., native completed his final nine credits this spring to earn his degree in labor studies and employment relations.

"It was top of the line," Coleman said last year of his academic experience at Rutgers. "It was one of the reasons that I chose Rutgers in the first place because the academic progress rate and the graduation rate was so high. I knew that I was going to leave there with a good degree and a good education. I just thought if I put in the work it was going to pay off, and it's good to show that it's starting to pay off."

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Another former player, Savon Huggins, will be back on campus for graduation. The running back earned his degree in economics from Rutgers before he decided to transfer to Northern Iowa in December for his final year of eligibility.

Other notable graduates include fullback Sam Bergen, who is still with the team as a sixth-year senior; left tackle Keith Lumpkin and running back Paul James are eligible to walk because they will complete their degree during the summer; and former center Betim Bujari, who won't be able to attend the weekend's ceremonies because he is currently trying out for the Tennessee Titans at their rookie minicamp.

Here is the full list of football graduates:

DB Johnathan Aiken

OL Taj Alexander

Student assistant Sean Barowski

FB Sam Bergen

QB Mike Bimonte

K Nick Borgese

OL Betim Bujari

FB Michael Burton

WR Brandon Coleman

K Nick DeLouisa

CB Gareef Glashen

RB Savon Huggins

DE Myles Jackson

RB Paul James

DT Kenneth Kirksey

OL Bryan Leoni

LB Joey Lohmann

OL Keith Lumpkin

OL Anthony Milito

DB Iyan Ogbevoen

DB Wayne Warren

LB Dallas Whitaker

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.