Reese’s Senior Bowl and Director Phil Savage Part Ways

The Senior Bowl made a surprising announcement related to their leadership last week. The premier college All-Start week announced they are mutually parting ways with director Phil Savage. In 1951, Mobile was blessed with the vision and leadership of Mr. Finley McRae, CEO of Merchants National Bank, who brought The Senior Bowl to Mobile, Ala. Mr. Finley employed Mr. Rea Schuessler as the first General Manager, tasked with developing the premier college football post-season bowl honoring and showcasing the talents of the best college senior football players in the nation. Since that time, there have been many dedicated stewards of the Senior Bowl, both volunteers and full-time professional employees. I worked with Steve Hale for many years helping annually to develop the roster of the top All-Star week in the country. None of the leaders have been more capable than director Phil Savage. Since Phil joined the Senior Bowl staff in 2012 as the Executive Director, the event continued to grow in popularity, and expanded a year-around schedule of engaging activities that have been enjoyed by and benefit many in our local community.

The national exposure and reputation of the Reese’s Senior Bowl has greatly benefited from Phil’s energy, creativity and leadership. After six years together, it is with regret that they announced last week that Phil and the organization will be mutually parting ways as of May 15, 2018. Phil deserves a great deal of credit for being a loyal caretaker of Mobile’s signature football event, and he will be missed by the Reese’s Senior Bowl staff and Mobilians everywhere. We wish Phil the best and success in all of his future opportunities and pursuits. As Mobile Arts and Sports Association Chairman Angus Cooper put it, “We appreciate Phil’s efforts here, his knowledge and enthusiasm for the game, and I am confident that he will continue to have a successful career in football.” A search committee will be formed by the Mobile Arts and Sports Association to identify potential candidates for this all-important position. Wishing Phil all the best in his endeavors.

Senior Bowl – QB Prospects, Kyle Lauletta and Mike White Outshine Top Prospects Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield

The Senior Bowl 2018 in Mobile, Alabama are a setting for two highly regarded QBs, Josh Allen of Wyoming and Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma. Both players are ascending prospects and are considered potentially top 5-10 overall selections with strong postseasons. They were outshined by two South QBs, Kyle Lauletta and Mike White who engineered a dominated 45-16 South victory. Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta earned Player-of-the-Game honors, along with receivers D.J. Chark of LSU and Central Florida’s Tre’quan Smith. Lauletta put on a strong performance that moved him into the middle tier of QB prospects in this deep class. Lauletta displayed a strong arm with accurate throws including 3 TD passes.

Photo – QB Mike White – Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky QB Mike White looked like an emerging pro prospect off a strong performance after a consistently good week of practices. He has fine size, touch and arm strength with the ability to sit in the pocket and deliver strikes. He is a rising prospect with the talent to surprise. Josh Allen actually played for two shifts of the game after an erratic week of practices. After a subpar start of the game in the first quarter, he came back in the 2nd half and had a strong finish going 9 of 13 passes for 2 TDs. He shows a tenacity NFL clubs look for in a leader. Baker Mayfield went only 3 of 7 before calling it a day. He had a solid week of practices and impressive interviews with a few clubs. His overall showing has him earmarked for the first half of the 1st round.

Frank Coyle and staff of DraftInsiders.com was at the Senior Bowl for the week long practices. Scouting info including updates and in depth Senior Bowl Game and Practice evaluation will be in the early February Newsletter (19 pages) Available this week.

San Diego St RB Rashaad Penny was our #1 Player to Watch for the Senior Bowl and he did not disappoint. He was one of the main reasons why the South blew out the North. He had an impressive 34-yard run along with a 73-yard TD reception. Penny displayed the speed to run away from defenders at over 220 lbs. with the soft hands to be a three-down pro back. His NFL Combine performance will be watched closely as he continues to ascend the draft charts.

Texas San Antonio DE Marcus Davenport: Davenport came to the Senior Bowl as a rising prospect who scouts wanted to see vs big tackle prospects. He impressed at time, though had a few disappointing periods. He looked to impress in the game on Saturday and made a strong showing. He was very disruptive off the edge and pressured the passer continuously. Though he needs to be more explosion off the snap, he uses his long reach well to separate from blockers and be disruptive with fine closing speed to the passer. He was still able to penetrate despite double teaming at times. He has risen to the first round of the NFL Draft and maybe a top 101-5 selection with a strong NFL Combine.

Senior Bowl Statistics
Quarterbacks 
Comp/Att / Yards/ TDs/ Int.
5 LAULETTA,KYLE 8-12 198 3 0
14 WHITE,MIKE 8-11 128 1 0
17 ALLEN,JOSH 9-13 158 2 0
6 MAYFIELD,BAKER 3-7 9 0 0

Running Backs 
Carries/ Yards/ TDs / Long/ Avg
20 PENNY,RASHAAD 9 64 0 34 7.1
25 SMITH,ITO 9 35 0 11 3.9
7A BALLAGE,KALEN 10 57 0 16 5.7
25 WADLEY,AKRUM 8 38 0 15 4.8
21 SAMUELS,JAYLEN 10 37 0 8 3.7

Receivers
Receptions / Yards / TDs / Long
7 CHARK,DJ 5 160 1 75
4 SMITH,TRE’QUAN 5 79 1 42
84 GALLUP,MICHAEL 3 60 0 31
80 SMYTHE,DURHAM 3 48 1 27
88 GESICKI,MIKE 3 39 0 22
83 CONKLIN,TYLER 2 20 1 16
88 AKINS,JORDAN 2 31 0 19

Senior Bowl 2018 – Game Day
Players to Watch – NFL Draft

The premier All-star game, the Senior Bowl is today with updated rosters for their 2018 games and the official Weigh-in and practices. This All-star game has been cornerstone during the postseason where hundreds of scouts evaluate the nation’s top pro prospects for the NFL Draft. Th Senior bowl roster annually dominates the NFL Draft seven rounds and has a long legacy of alumni with many of them having gone to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos have been selected to coach the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Texans, led by recently resigned fourth-year head coach Bill O’Brien, will guide the South team, while Vance Joseph who finished his first year as head coach of the Broncos, will guide the North.

Both the NFL Network and ESPN will televise the practices during the week and NFL Network will carry the game live on Saturday.

Senior Bowl 2018 – Sat, January 27, 2018 –
NFL Network – 2:30 pm EST

Senior Bowl Players to Watch – NFL Draft 2018
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma
Josh Allen – Wyoming
Luke Falk – Washington St
Mike White – Western Kentucky

Running Backs
Ito Smith – Southern Miss
Kevin Ballage – Arizona St
Rashaad Penny – San Diego St
Arum Wadley – Iowa

Wide Receivers
Michael Gallup – Colorado St
D.J. Chark – LSU
Allen Lazard – Iowa St
Jaleel Scott – New Mexico St
J’Mon Moore – Missouri
Tre’Quan Smith – Central Florida

Tight Ends
Mike Gesicki – Penn St
Ian Thomas – Indiana
Troy Fumagalli – Wisconsin
Adam Breneman – UMASS
Durham Smythe – Notre Dame

Offensive Linemen
Isaiah Wynn – Georgia
Will Hernandez – Texas-El Paso
Tyrell Crosby – Oregon
Brandon Parker – North Carolina A&T
Alex Cappa – Humboldt St
Cole Madison – Washington St

Defensive Ends
Emolo Turay – Rutgers
Marcus Davenport – Texas-San Antonio
Tyquan Lewis – Ohio St
Jalyn Holmes – Ohio St

Tackles
Harrison Phillips – Stanford
B.J. Hill – N. C. St
JUSTIN JONES – N. C. St
Poona Ford – Texas

Linebackers
Shaqem Griffin – Central Florida
Marquis Haynes – Ole Miss
Fred Warner – BYU
Darius Leonard – South Carolina St
Mike McCray – Michigan
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – Oklahoma

Cornerbacks
Levi Wallace – Alabama
Michael Joseph – Dubuque
Danny Johnson – Southern
Duke Dawson – Florida
Siran Neal – Jacksonville St

Safeties
Marcus Allen – Penn St
Armani Watts – Texas A&M
Kameron Kelly – San Diego St
Quin Blanding – Virginia

Senior Bowl – Top QB Prospects, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield Looking To Shine This Week

The Senior Bowl 2018 in Mobile, Alabama is the setting for two highly regarded QBs, Josh Allen of Wyoming and Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma. Both players are ascending prospects and are considered potentially top 5-10 overall selections with strong postseasons. The two highest rated QB prospects currently are Sam Darnold of USC and Josh Rosen of UCLA, both underclassmen and not eligible for any All-Star postseason play.

Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield is coming off a Heisman Trophy season and a terrific performance in the Sooners’ semi-final loss to Georgia. He was a late arrival in Mobile that was delayed because of a family illness matter. He missed the official weigh-in session where scouts were hoping to finally find out how tall he actually is and if he measures in over 6’. After the Tuesday afternoon Senior Bowl practice, he measured in at 6-0 3/8” and 216 lbs. to finally put to rest this drama. He will practice this week and hopefully play in the Senior Bowl classic on Saturday.

Josh Allen of Wyoming checked in at 6047 at 237 lbs., 33.5″ arm length and 10 1/8″ hands. His hands were the biggest of the Senior Bowl group of eight. He is a fourth-year junior who qualified for the Senior Bowl by graduating fall 2017.

He made it clear at Senior Bowl Media Day on Tuesday that, if selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns, he would relish being the leader for the pathetic franchise.

“It’s a tough situation obviously to come in as a rookie and expect to be perfect right away. I know that I have a lot of flaws as a quarterback,” he explained. “Given an opportunity of being able to go to Cleveland and help change the culture there and be a part of a really good team. They’re a young team, so they’re going to be really good in the next coming years. They’re doing the right things with their new GM.”

“To get the opportunity to go there and kind of be the guy would be special, but like I said, they’re going to do what’s best for the franchise.” The Browns hold multiple early selections including two first round choices, the 1st and 4th overall picks. They hold four of the top 35 overall selections plus a few multiple middle round selections, giving the Browns leverage to move up and down within the early rounds.

Allen impressed scouts with his weigh-in on Tuesday not only measuring 6-4 7/8” and 237 lbs., but his huge hand size of 10 1/8” and strong arm. He needs to impress this week vs top competition and working with NFL coaching staffs to address issues related to his level of competition and a few lackluster 2017 performances.

For Complete Senior Bowl info including updates and roster changes
Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

Allen is Frank Coyle’s 3rd QB currently after Darnold and Rosen. He hopes to make a case for the first overall selection. The Browns have young veteran QBs in DeShone Kizer and Cody Kessler who have struggled in their short careers with zero wins and poor passing statistics. In addition to Cleveland, clubs like the Giants, Colts, Broncos and Jets, all in the top 6 choices are interested in a young QB. The two selections in the top 4 picks puts the Browns in an interesting position to addition two positions with possible impact performers.

Frank Coyle and staff of DraftInsiders.com is at the Senior Bowl for the week long practices. Scouting info including updates and in depth Senior Bowl Game and Practice evaluation will be in the early February Newsletter. January Newsletter (19 pages) available now.

Senior Bowl Week Begins With Weigh-in and Practices
Updated 1/23

The premier All-star game, the Senior Bowl begins today with updated rosters for their 2018 games and the official Weigh-in and practices. This All-star game has been cornerstone during the postseason where hundreds of scouts evaluate the nation’s top pro prospects for the NFL Draft. Th Senior bowl roster annually dominates the NFL Draft seven rounds and has a long legacy of alumni with many of them having gone to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos have been selected to coach the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl, set for January 27 in Mobile, Ala.

“We are thrilled to have the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos as the two coaching staffs for our game,” said Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage.

Photo – RB Royce Freeman – Oregon

The Texans, led by their fourth-year head coach Bill O’Brien, will guide the South team, while Vance Joseph, in his first year as head coach of the Broncos, will guide the North.

“Both organizations are well respected across the National Football League and it is our honor to welcome them to Mobile,” Savage said.

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Houston has coached in the Senior Bowl one previous time, in 2003 under Dom Capers.

It finished the 2017 season with a record of 4-12 and would have picked fourth in this year’s draft, however, that pick was traded to the Browns.

strong>Senior Bowl Teams – Practice Schedule

Tuesday, January 23
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (South)
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm (North)

Wednesday, January 24
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm (North)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (South)

Thursday, January 25
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm (North)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (South)

* All Practices Open To Public at Ladd-Peebles Stadium

Denver was 5-11 this season and will pick fifth in the draft. The Broncos have coached in the Reese’s Senior Bowl six times, going 2-2-2 in those games.

“We jumped at the opportunity for the Broncos to work the Senior Bowl,” Broncos’ President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said. “On both the coaching and personnel sides, the experience gives us a chance to meet these prospects and get to know them on and off the field. The Senior Bowl has a great tradition and we are excited to be a part of it.”

“The Senior Bowl provides our staff an up-close look at some of the top prospects in this year’s draft,” said Joseph, who in 13 years of coaching in the NFL has coached in the Senior Bowl three times, all as an assistant with the 49ers (2006-2008). “Having coached the Senior Bowl in the past, it’s a tremendous evaluation tool spending all week with these players in a variety of group and individual settings.

Joseph, 45, jumped into coaching after a brief NFL career, serving as an assistant at the University of Colorado, Wyoming and Bowling Green before moving up the NFL where he was a defensive backs coach for the 49ers, Texans and Bengals over a 10-year stretch. After one year as a defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, he earned his first head coaching job with the Broncos.

Senior Bowl Director Phil Savage and staff have assembled another talented group of pro prospects. Currently, the Senior Bowl staff has over 100 acceptances from the nation’s top prospects for their January week long event.
For Complete Senior Bowl info including updated Roster acceptances
Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

Players will arrive by Jan. 22 to begin practices the next day. The 69th Reese’s Senior Bowl is scheduled for January 27 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT.

Both the NFL Network and ESPN will televise the practices during the week and NFL Network will carry the game live on Saturday.

Frank Coyle and staff of DraftInsiders.com will attend the Senior Bowl for the Monday weigh-in and week long practices. Scouting info including updates and in depth Senior Bowl Game and Practice evaluation will be in the early February Newsletter. January Newsletter (19 pages) available now.

QB Josh Allen Accepts Invitation to Play in 2018 Senior Bowl

University of Wyoming QB Josh Allen accepted an invitation to play in this year’s Senior Bowl to be played in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 27. The game will be televised on NFL Network and is scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m., Mountain Time. ESPNU and NFL Network will broadcast practices from the Senior Bowl week, which will run Jan. 23-27.

Photo – QB Josh Allen – Wyoming

Allen graduated in December 2017 after completing his junior season at Wyoming in 2017. He declared for the 2018 NFL Draft immediately after leading the Wyoming Cowboys to a 37-14 victory in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He is rated as one of this year’s top quarterback prospects by Frank Coyle of DraftInsiders.com. Allen is eligible to play in the Senior Bowl by virtue of completing his degree in social science from UW this past December.

Allen led the Cowboys to an 8-5 record in 2017 and a victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, he guided the Cowboys to an 8-6 record, a spot in the 2016 Mountain West Conference Championship Game and a berth in the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. He also led the Cowboys to wins over two Top 25 teams in the 2016 season.

Allen was named to numerous college football award watch lists this past season, including the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List, Manning Award Watch List, Maxwell Award Watch List and Walter Camp Award Watch List. Allen was invited to and attended the Manning Passing Academy in the summer of 2017.

In his two seasons as Wyoming’s starting QB, Allen accounted for 5,833 yards of total offense and was responsible for 57 TDs passing, rushing and receiving. He ended his Wyoming career with 5,066 passing yards and 44 TD passes. He also rushed for 767 yards during his college career and scored 12 rushing touchdowns.
At the time of Allen’s acceptance of his invitation to this year’s Senior Bowl, he became the eighth and final quarterback on the 2018 Senior Bowl rosters. The other seven QBs who have accepted invitations are: Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma St, Luke Falk of Washington St, Kurt Benkert of Virginia, Kyle Lauletta of Richmond, Brandon Silvers of Troy and Mike White of Western Kentucky. The coaching staffs of the Denver Broncos (North) and Houston Texans (South) will coach this year’s Senior Bowl teams.

More information on this year’s Senior Bowl may be found at: https://www.seniorbowl.com/