Two Golden Eagles picked for USA Football Bowl all-star game Monday
Tennessee Tech offensive lineman Wesley Sherrill and defensive end Malcolm Mitchell have been selected to play in the 20th annual USA Football Bowl, a college all-star game scheduled for Monday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala.
By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports
Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two departing seniors from the Tennessee
Tech Golden Eagle football team have been selected to play in the
20th annual USA Football Bowl, a college all-star game of players
from across the country.
Offensive lineman Wesley Sherrill from Antioch, Tenn., and
defensive end Malcolm Mitchell from Stone Mountain, Ga., will play
in the game next Monday afternoon (Jan. 20) at Hoover Metropolitan
Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. They will participate in five days of
activities at the site, including a Meet the Media event Friday, an
Awards Dinner Sunday night, and a pro scout day on Tuesday
following the game.
The USA Football Bowl will draw top players from the NCAA's
Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III, as
well as players from the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA), National Christian College Athletic Association
(NCCAA) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA),
officials said.
"I'm proud of Wesley and Malcolm and I’m excited that they
have been invited to play," Golden Eagle coach Watson Brown said.
“This could prove to be an outstanding opportunity for them.
Both of them played important roles for us and they deserve this
opportunity."
The invitation to the game came from Dennis Wilson, the president
of the USA Football Network, who is serving his 23rd consecutive
term as president of the Metropolitan New York Football Writers
Association. The USA Professional Football Leagues Testing Combine
will be held on Tuesday, featuring NFL, CFL, and AFL coaches and
scouts.
Both Sherrill and Mitchell received post-season honors for their
efforts in 2013, including all-OVC selection from both the Ohio
Valley Conference and College Sports Madness. Sherrill finished his
career with 36 starts over the past four years. Mitchell was among
the OVC leaders in both quarterback sacks (7.5) and
tackles-for-loss (13), finishing the year with 47 total
tackles.
Each of the teams in the all-star bowl game – the Admirals
and the Generals -- will have 66 players, including three
quarterbacks, Wilson said.
“This will be the last hurrah for some of the players and
their parents, but the more serious ones will use it as a chance to
show off their skills in an effort to play professional ball,
Wilson said. "These kids are all capable of getting into the
NFL."
The USA Football Bowl started in 1995 as the Division III Senior
All-Star Classic. It later became known as the Aztec Bowl for 10
years and was played in Mexico, Wilson said. In 2010, the event
absorbed the Division II Cactus Bowl, and in 2011, NAIA, NCCAA and
USCAA senior All-Americans were made eligible. Then in 2012, FCS
seniors who earned All-Conference designation were added.
The bowl game has moved around the country and last year was held
in Virginia, Wilson said. Virginia proved to be too cold in
January, so officials began looking for a warmer climate. The USA
Football Bowl will have a live online radio broadcast on the
National Gridiron Network and a tape-delayed national television
broadcast, Wilson said. Typically, the game is aired two days later
on ESPNU and/or the NFL Channel, he said.
The Hoover Met is the former home of the Birmingham Barons minor
league baseball team and serves as the site for the SEC Baseball
Tournament and Hoover High School home football games. Other events
that have been held at the Met include the NCAA men's soccer
College Cup Final Four and the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
