Paul L. Newby II | The Grand Rapids PressFormer Grand Valley State football players Dan Skuta, left, and Cullen Finnerty share some conversation during a golf outing at The Meadows on Wednesday.

ALLENDALE -- Dan Skuta understands he has a lot to prove coming from a small school.

His reputation as a big hitter at Grand Valley State University, however, helped earn him a rookie free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 6-foot-2, 251-pound middle linebacker plans to reinforce that reputation when he reports to Bengals' training camp on July 30 in Georgetown, Ky.

"I think I've proved I belong (in the NFL)," he said of his performance in Bengals' minicamp last month. "You've got to prove you can hit. That's a big part of my game.

"I'm happy to be from (a Division II school). I'm still going to go hit the guy in front of me no matter where I'm from and he's going to feel it no matter where he's from."

Skuta, 23, just wants a fair shot at making an NFL roster.