The college football all-star season is officially upon us, giving college football junkies a few final looks at some of the sport's top players this past season. The Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game will kickoff in Tucson Monday night.
Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game
Kino Stadium
8 p.m. (Eastern)
TV: Fox Sports Arizona - Fox Sports Pacific will pick it up nationally on Comcast Digital channel 722, where available.
Twitter | Live Blog
While this game will shy in comparison to the media attention given to some of the higher profile all-star games, there is no shortage of names to pay attention to in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game. For the most part the Tucson-based game sees more of the players looking to surprise some scouts in hopes of building some late momentum for the NFL Draft.
LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee, who never saw a down in the BCS Championship Game, will hope to show what he can do with this final opportunity. Lee filled in as LSU's starting quarterback while Jordan Jefferson was serving a suspension, but Jefferson eventually regained control of the offense under Les Miles.
Lee will be joined on the East roster, nicknamed the Stars, by Tulsa quarterback GJ Kinne, who is considered to be undersized but with solid arm strength. The West (Stripes) team will be quarterbacked by the trio of Washington State's Marshall Lobbestael, San Jose State's Matthew Faulkner, and Division 2 national champion Pittsburg State's Zac Dickey.
Another player to keep an eye on will be Penn State running back Stephfon Green. Green has the speed to make some people take notice, and he is capable of breaking a big run almost any time he touches the football. Green got a late start on the 2011 season with some personal issues with Joe Paterno and had to work his way back in to the game plan. Following the dismissal of Paterno, Green became more of a fixture in the Penn State offense. Better late than never? Green and Michigan running back Michael Shaw, playing for the West (Stripes), will each look to make a statement following down seasons.
Ole Miss defensive end Wayne Dorsey is a bit of a work-in-progress as a pass rusher, according to Matthew Elder from Buffalo Bills Draft, but a solid performance in this game should give him something to build off of moving forward to the NFL Draft in April. Staying in SEC country, Tennessee linebacker Austin Johnson will bring decent ball-awareness to the field and will look to prove that he was not the reason Tennessee's defense struggled this past season.
Some other defensive names to keep an eye on include William & Mary linebacker Jake Trantin. The Tribe linebacker has a unique back-story that included stepping away form football for a year to handle some off-field family issues the season after being named All-CAA Second Team and being named All-State Second Team by the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Trantin is one of 16 players from the FCS to play in this game. Delaware center Gino Gradkowski and Old Dominion defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron were named first-team All-Americans in FCS this past season and are also on the East roster.
Former Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt will coach the Stars (East). Nutt was relieved of his duties this season and ultimately replaced by Hugh Freeze, from Arkansas State. Nutt has a career record of 135-95, three SEC Coach of the Year awards as well as a pair of Cotton Bowl victories. He will be opposed by former Fresno State head coach Pat Hill. Hill was 112-80 at Fresno State during a 15-year career, which came to an end this season after the school decided to not continue with him as head coach.
For those who are always thirsty for football, this should get the job done tonight following a weekend of NFL playoff football, and it should be something to hold the college football and NFL Draft junkie over until Saturday when the East-West Shrine Game, The Battle of Florida and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl are played.
The Senior Bowl will be played next week, on Saturday January 28.
View the complete roster here. For quick scouting reports on each player, visit Buffalo Bills Draft (whether you are a Bills fan or not) for East and West roster breakdowns.
Kevin McGuire is a national college football writer for Examiner.com and the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. He can be reached at cfbexaminer@gmail.com.
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