Wednesday, January 19, 2011

College football: Ricky Stanzi 'humbled' by Senior Bowl invite

NFL auditions begin soon. For Lake Catholic graduate Ricky Stanzi, his will be on the biggest stage.

Stanzi, who recently completed his college career at Iowa, has been invited to participate in the top college football all-star game, the Jan. 29 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

"I'm humbled," Stanzi said on the school's website about the invitation. "To be in a position to go out there and compete with a ton of great athletes from across the country in front of NFL coaches and scouts, it's just a tremendous opportunity, and I'm very thankful to have a chance to do it."

Stanzi was Iowa's MVP on offense in 2010, and was one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually to the nation's top senior quarterback. He finished his Iowa career ranked third in school history in touchdown passes (56), passing yards (7,377) and total offense (7,373).

"I think the main thing I want to show (scouts) is work ethic," said Stanzi, who threw for 3,004 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. "I want to go in there and really seize the opportunity, you know squeeze it for all it's worth. I want to show them that I'm willing to work, do whatever I'm told and be the hardest-working guy that I can be out there and help the team and try to learn as much as possible in the short time that I am there."

Early draft projections have Stanzi as a third- to fourth-round pick.

Other quarterbacks scheduled to be at the Senior Bowl include Alabama's Greg McElroy, Washington's Jake Locker, TCU's Andy Dalton, Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Florida State's Christian Ponder.

Stanzi has also been invited to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in February.

- Linebacker Ross Homan is the lone Ohio State Buckeye who will be at the Senior Bowl.Continued... 1 2 See Full Story

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- OSU offensive lineman Bryant Browning, plus teammates safety Jermale Hines and linebacker Brian Rolle, will play in Saturday's East-West Shrine game in Orlando, Fla. Mount Union receiver Cecil Shorts will also play in the game.

The deadline for early entry for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft has come and gone, and no Ohio State player declared.

That's good news for Coach Jim Tressel, who said prior to the Sugar Bowl the five suspended players gave the coach his word all would return for the 2011 season.

Those players — QB Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas — face a five-game suspension at the start of the 2011 season for selling personal items and receiving improper benefits.

Reportedly, having those suspensions reduced appear unlikely. OSU is planning an appeal soon, and a decision by the NCAA is forthcoming.

- Ten years ago today, Tressel was named Ohio State coach, replacing John Cooper.

- Malone University senior Cody Carroll, a Chardon graduate, was recently named a first-team NAIA All-American by the Victory Sports Network. Carroll led the nation in tackles for loss (20) and sacks (15) in 2010.

Source: http://news-herald.com

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