Cornerbacks invited to Senior Bowls
November 14, 2007 12:00 am by Eric Moeller
While South Florida's football season will end after the team plays in its third consecutive bowl game later this year, Bulls cornerbacks Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins have earned the chance to add at least one more game to their collegiate careers.
Both Jenkins and Williams have been invited to head to the University of Houston on Jan. 19 to participate in the East-West Shrine Game.
The East-West Shrine Game has been played annually since 1925 to help raise money and increase awareness for Shriners Hospital for Children, a network of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals that provide care for children at no charge. To date, the game has helped raise more than $14 million.
Jenkins and Williams will join former Bulls' kicker Bill Gramatica as the only South Florida players to receive invitations to the East-West Shrine Game.
Along with the Shrine Game, Jenkins has received an invitation to play in the Under Armour Senior Bowl, which takes place on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala.
The Senior Bowl is an annual game that provides NFL coaches and scouts with the chance to see the nation's best collegiate players in action before heading into the draft. North and South teams are created using the geographic locations of the players' schools and are coached by the staffs of two NFL teams. Before Jenkins, former South Florida running back Andre Hall was the only Bull to receive an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Both Jenkins and Williams are on pace to close out their collegiate careers with impressive senior seasons. Jenkins is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the nation's top defensive back, and according to draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., is the top-rated senior cornerback in this year's NFL draft. Williams has 11 interceptions in the last two seasons, more than all but two NCAA FBS players, and was heavily considered for the semifinal list of the Jim Thorpe Award.
SOCCER WAITING TO SEE
The USF men's soccer team hopes to secure an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament this season when the selections are announced live on ESPNNews on Monday, Nov. 19 between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The team's season ended with a semifinal round loss to Connecticut in the Big East Conference Tournament on Nov. 10.
The Bulls finished with a 12-5-1 record and are ranked No. 21 in the nation, according to College Soccer News.