The Senior Bowl has released their first annual Watch List and offensive lineman Larry Warford is the only Kentucky representative.
Here is the official release on the Senior Bowl:
[B]Senior Bowl Unveils First Ever Watch List[/B]
SEC leads all conferences with 71 players, 114 schools represented
Mobile, AL. (Aug. 23)—The Senior Bowl will once again have a wide range of talent to choose from when selecting the top senior college football players for its annual showcase event. The nation’s premier all-star game unveiled its first ever “Watch List” today, highlighting 309 seniors and top NFL draft prospects from 114 different schools to keep an eye on during the 2012 college football season.
The top 100 seniors in the country will be invited to participate in the 2013 Senior Bowl, set for Saturday, January 26th in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
“The Senior Bowl is very pleased to announce our first-ever ‘official’ Watch List,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. “We want both college and pro football fans to enjoy tracking the players on our list as they begin their journey towards the Senior Bowl and the 2013 NFL Draft. We have included prospects from almost every level of the college game and look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the upcoming season.”
The Southeastern Conference, winners of the last six BCS National Championships, leads all conferences with 71 players on the list. Alabama, Georgia and Nebraska are all tied with the most players on the list with nine a piece.
The Big Ten has the second highest amount of players on the Watch List with 46. Among those seniors is 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin. The running back led the nation with 1,923 yards and 33 touchdowns a year ago. Other high profile players featured on the list are USC quarterback Matt Barkley, Utah defensive lineman Star Lotulelei and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.
“This 2013 draft class has a solid cross-section of quarterbacks, from names like Matt Barkley and Tyler Wilson to other relative unknowns like Alex Carder (Western Michigan) and Zac Dysert (Miami-OH). There also appears to be quality depth at the center and guard spots on offense, along the defensive line (both DT and DE) and at safety on defense,” Savage said.
The Senior Bowl Watch List also includes 29 players from non-FBS schools. The showcase event has a long-standing tradition of featuring smaller school standouts, with seven FCS and Division II players on last year’s roster alone. Elon wide receiver Aaron Mellette, who led the FCS in receptions per game (10.27) and receiving yards per game (149.0) in 2011, is among those smaller school standouts that has caught Savage’s eye.
“I’ve seen three games on Aaron from last year and he is a legitimate NFL prospect with size and athleticism. Elon plays North Carolina this year and everyone can’t wait to see how he performs against a higher level of competition,” Savage said of Mellette.
Invitations for the 2013 Senior Bowl will be begin being extended in the next few weeks and continue throughout the 2012 season.
Tickets for the 2013 Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), online at [url]www.seniorbowl.com[/url] or by calling (251) 432-4109.
You can look at the entire [URL=”http://www.seniorbowl.com/files/Watch%20List%20Release.pdf”]watch list by clicking here.[/URL]
