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ACC Sending 18 To 2008 Under
Armour Senior Bowl
League’s outstanding
class of senior draft prospects includes first-team All-Americans, major
award winners and record-setting performers.
 MOBILE, Ala. (January
11, 2008) --
Plenty of top senior NFL draft prospects from the ACC will be on display
at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during Under Armour Senior Bowl 2008, as 18
players from league schools have accepted invitations to this year’s
contest, bowl officials announced on Friday.
New players named to the roster on Friday
include a trio of first-team All-ACC stars from Virginia Tech’s 2007 ACC
Champions – All-American linebacker Xavier Adibi, defensive end Chris
Ellis and receiver/returner Eddie Royal, North Carolina defensive
lineman Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina State defensive lineman DeMario
Pressley, Miami linebacker Tavares Gooden and Florida State deep snapper
Garrison Sanborn.
Virginia Tech All-American linebacker
Xavier Adibi
Adibi was a first-team AFCA All-American
who led the Hokies with 115 tackles, adding 12 tackles for loss, three
sacks, two interceptions and five pass breakups.
A 6-2, 236-pounder from Hampton, Va., was
also a two-time All-ACC pick who started every game the past three
seasons and finished his career with 399 tackles, 41 tackles for loss
and 14 sacks.
An outstanding pass rusher, Ellis is a
6-5, 267-pounder from Hampton, Va., who was a first-team All-ACC pick
and led the team with 8.5 sacks and 38 quarterback hurries to go along
with his 53 total tackles and a team-leading three fumble recoveries.
Virginia Tech All-ACC receiver/returner
Eddie Royal |
Virginia Tech All-ACC defensive end
Chris Ellis |
A big-play receiving and return threat,
Royal ranks as the ACC’s all-time leader in punt return yardage with
1,296, returning two for touchdowns in 2007.
The 5-10, 180-pounder from Herndon, Va.,
earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second straight year and caught
33 passes for 496 yards and four TD’s in 2007. He also led the Hokies in
all-purpose yards with 1,379, and ranks fourth in career receptions at
Tech with 119 and sixth in career receiving yards with 1,778.
Gooden led the Hurricanes with 100 tackles
in 2007, as the 6-2, 238-pounder from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., added three
tackles for loss, one interception and three fumble recoveries, and
finished his career with 237 career stops.
Miami linebacker
Tavares Gooden |
North Carolina defensive lineman
Kentwan Balmer |
Pressley is a 6-3, 295-pound defensive
tackle from Greensboro, N.C., who recorded 41 total tackles, 6.5 for
loss, and had two key interceptions which sealed Wolfpack victories
during the season.
Considered one of the top defensive
tackles in this year’s draft class, Balmer is a 6-5, 295-pounder from
Weldon, N.C., who ranked second among all ACC tackles with 59 total
tackles, and added 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He earned
second-team All-ACC honors this year.
Sanborn, a 6-1, 222-pounder from Tampa,
Fla., has been the Seminoles’ deep snapper the last two seasons and has
not had a bad snap on any of FSU’s 68 extra point and 55 field goal
attempts over that time.
North Carolina State defensive
lineman DeMario Pressley |
Florida State deep snapper
Garrison Sanborn |
The 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl
is scheduled for Saturday, January 26, 2008. Tickets sell for $24, $18
and $12 each and can be purchased at all area Food World stores,
selected Regions Bank branches, by calling 251-432-4109 or ordered
through the bowl’s website at
www.seniorbowl.com.
ACC Players In the 2008 Under Armour
Senior Bowl
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Boston College:
Gosder Cherilus, OL; Matt Ryan, QB; DeJuan Tribble, DB
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Florida State:
Andre Fluellen, DL; Garrison Sanborn, DS
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Georgia Tech:
Durant Brooks, P; Tashard Choice, RB; Darrell Robertson, DL; Philip
Wheeler, LB
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Maryland: Dre
Moore, DL
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Miami: Tavares
Gooden, LB
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North Carolina:
Kentwan Balmer, DL
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North Carolina
State: DeMario Pressley, DL
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Virginia Tech:
Xavier Adibi, LB; Chris Ellis, DL; Eddie Royal, WR
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Wake Forest:
Steve Justice, OL; Jeremy Thompson, DL
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