Abraham, Hector & Valdes-Scantling to Play in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
TAMPA, JAN. 3, 2018 – USF senior safety
Devin Abraham (Tarpon Springs), senior defensive tackle
Bruce Hector (Tampa) and senior wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (St. Petersburg) have accepted invitations to play in the 2018 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl held Sat., Jan. 20 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
It will be the seventh annual playing of the prestigious college all-star football game that brings together top draft-eligible players from across the country to perform in front of nearly 200 scouts, player personnel staff, general managers and head coaches from all 32 NFL teams. Former St. Louis Rams head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Martz returns for a fourth season to lead the National team while Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, a former Washington Redskins cornerback, will lead the American team. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. (ET) kickoff and will be televised by FS1.
Abraham, Hector and Valdes-Scantling improve USF's number of players selected to compete in 2018 college football all-star games to seven. They join
Quinton Flowers (Miami),
D'Ernest Johnson (Immokalee),
Deatrick Nichols (Miami) and
Deadrin Senat (Immokalee) whom all accepted invitations to the play in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game, also held on Jan. 20. Abraham, Hector and Valdes-Scantling bring the number of USF players selected to compete in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which began in 2012, to eight.
Abraham collected his team-leading fifth interception of the season in the Bulls' 38-34 victory over Texas Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. A four-year starter that posted 39 career starts, Abraham had 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, five interceptions and seven passes defended in his senior season. He finished his career with 168 tackles nine interceptions and 17 passes defended, with his nine interceptions standing tied for fifth-most all-time at USF.
Hector, a second team all-conference selection, led USF with 7.0 sacks and was second with 13.0 tackles for loss on the year. It marked his third straight year leading or tying for the team lead in sacks. The defensive tackle also added 38 tackles, a forced fumble and a blocked kick on the year. A starter in 24 career games, Hector finished his USF career ranking seventh all-time with 18 sacks and added 28.0 tackles for loss and 90 tackles.
Valdes-Scantling's 64-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the 2017 Birmingham Bowl gave USF a 31-27 lead. He finished the game with a team-leading 133 yards on three catches. Valdes-Scantling set a USF season receiving yardage record with 879 yards while posting six touchdowns on 53 receptions. His 1,294 career receiving yards in two seasons at USF rank 10
th all-time on the career charts. He also logged 75 receptions and 11 touchdowns at USF. Combined with his statistics from two seasons played at N.C. State prior to transferring to USF, Valdes-Scantling finished his collegiate career with 119 receptions for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 13 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 19 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. The Bulls won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and have posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.
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