A slew of big-name prospects were among the 24 players who accepted invitations to the Reese's Senior Bowl on Monday, among them Minnesota defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy and TCU cornerback Jason Verrett.
Also among those accepting invitations were three quarterbacks: San Jose State's David Fales, Miami's Stephen Morris and Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas. Previously accepting invitations were Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Fresno State's Derek Carr and Georgia's Aaron Murray. The Senior Bowl generally invites six quarterbacks every year.
But Murray is injured and won't be able to participate. Who will take his spot is an intriguing storyline. Among the senior quarterbacks out there and available to play: Alabama's A.J. McCarron, SMU's Garrett Gilbert, Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch and Ball State's Keith Wenning.
Two non-FBS players were announced Monday: North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner, considered the best pro prospect on a team seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, and Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) wide receiver Jeff Janis, who had 83 receptions and 14 TD catches for a team that lost in the first round of the Division II playoffs. One other Division II player already had been announced: Dixie State (Okla.) tight end Joe Don Duncan.
The others who accepted invitations Monday: Wake Forest wide receiver Michael Campanaro, Texas wide receiver Mike Davis, Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon, Virginia Tech defensive end James Gayle, Oregon defensive tackle Taylor Hart, Stanford fullback Ryan Hewitt, Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff, Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Iowa linebacker Christian Kirksey, Oklahoma wide receiver Jalen Saunders, Connecticut defensive tackle Shamar Stephens, Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith, Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith and Clemson offensive tackle Brandon Thomas.
The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. ET in Mobile, Ala. It will be televised by NFL Network.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
