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Troy's Jernigan Accepts Under Armour Senior Bowl Invite
Photo – Jerrel Jernigan - Troy
Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan will play one final game in his home state. Jernigan has officially accepted an invitation to the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl, officials announced today. The January 29th game will kickoff at 3pm (CT) and will be televised live by NFL Network.
“Jerrel is one of the more exciting players in the game today,” Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. “He had a record-setting career at Troy and we’re anxious to see him showcase his skills next month in Mobile.”
Jernigan was rated our #53 prospect in the December Top 160 Senior Pro Prospects. He has been on our Senior Bowl recommended list since September.
Jernigan, a native of Eufaula, Alabama, is the all-time leader in receiving yards (3,128), receptions (262) and all-purpose yards (5,971) in both Sun Belt Conference and Troy history. He also ranks in the top five in each of those categories among NCAA active career leaders.
A three-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection, Jernigan totaled 84 catches for 822 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He also added 322 yards on the ground to go along with three scores and two more touchdowns in the return game (1 punt, 1 kick)—giving him a total of 11 touchdowns on the year.
As a junior, he became just the fourth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season with 1,101. He finished his career with seven catches and two touchdowns (1 receiving, 1 rushing) in the Trojans 48-21 victory over Ohio in the New Orleans Bowl.
“It’s a great honor,” Jernigan said of being invited to the Under Armour Senior Bowl. “I get to play against and with the best talent around the nation from some big colleges and I get to go out and showcase my talent.”
“I’m excited to get to go against players from schools like LSU and West Virginia and show them that the Sun Belt is not a joke and we’ve got athletes in the Sun Belt too.”
Jernigan is the 8th overall player accepted and the sixth player to be named to the South roster for the 2011 Senior Bowl game. He joins Alabama teammates Greg McElroy, James Carpenter and Preston Dial and Florida State teammates Christian Ponder and Rodney Hudson.
Senior Bowl Invitation List
No. Name Position - HT/WT - School
TBA Carpenter, James - OL - 6-5 / 300 - Alabama
TBA Dial, Preston - TE - 6-3 / 237 - Alabama
TBA Hudson, Rodney - OL - 6-3 / 285 - Florida St.
TBA Jernigan, Jerrel - WR - 5-9 / 184 - Troy
TBA McElroy, Greg - QB - 6-3 / 225 - Alabama
TBA Pettis, Austin - WR - 6-3 / 203 - Boise State
TBA Ponder, Christian - QB - 6-3 / 227 - Florida State
TBA Young, Titus - WR - 5-11 / 175 - Boise State
Tickets for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), all area Food For Less locations, select Regions Bank locations, online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109