Podlesh and Wilson To Play in Senior Bowl Saturday
1/22/2007 7:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 22, 2007
MOBILE, Ala. - Two of Maryland's top performers the last four seasons - cornerback Josh Wilson and punter Adam Podlesh -- are among the 100 top NFL draft prospects participating in the 2007 Under Armour Senior Bowl this week.
Wilson and Podlesh will play on the North squad, which is being coached by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden and his staff.
The players will have one practice per day this week, beginning Monday, capped off Saturday by the 58th annual contest. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. (CT) in Ladd-Peebles Stadium and the game will be nationally-televised by the NFL Network.
Fans will also be able to follow the players' progress through the NFL Network's complete coverage of this year's practices, as over 14 hours of Senior Bowl content will air during the week. NFL Network telecasts will air on Monday through Thursday, including nightly recap shows in primetime (see schedule below).
Podlesh is the only football player in school history to record All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors four times. He was a second-team choice this season and was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist as a freshman and sophomore. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt this season (No. 22 in the nation), landing 23 of 56 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard-line. He is ranked No. 1 on Mel Kiper's list of senior punters.
Wilson was an honorable mention All-ACC selection this season and earned the James Tatum Award as the top senior student-athlete in the league. He tallied 55 tackles, including 44 solo stops, in 2006. Wilson also picked off one pass and had a team-high 12 pass breakups. In addition, the Upper Marlboro, Md. native was one of the top returners in the nation, averaging 27.3 yards per kick return (No. 11 in the country) this season.
The Senior Bowl is the nation's most unique football game and football's premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country's best senior NFL prospects on teams representing the North and South that are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams. The Senior Bowl is also attended by over 700 NFL coaches, scouts and other front office personnel each year.
The South squad will be coached by San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan and his staff.
In 2006, 15 Senior Bowl players were chosen in the first-round of the NFL Draft, and over 90 percent of the players are chosen in the draft each year.
Over 572 former Senior Bowl players were on active rosters in the NFL in 2006, with 24 former Senior Bowlers being named to the rosters for this year's NFL Pro Bowl. That group includes the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2006, running back LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers, and Miami Dolphins' defensive end Jason Taylor, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year this season.
• The Senior Bowl is also a non-profit, charitable event that has donated over $4 million through the Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership over the last ten years.
For more information, visit the bowl's Web site at www.seniorbowl.com.
Terps Notes: Four of the six Terrapins scheduled to participate in postseason all-stars have already done so. DL Conrad Bolston, OT Stephon Heyer and LB David Holloway all played in the Hula Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 14 in Honolulu, while QB Sam Hollenbach played in the inaugural Inta Juice North-South All-Star Classic on Saturday, Jan. 13 in Houston. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 99 yards with one interception in the game. Hollenbach is also slated to play in the first-ever Texas vs. The Nation game on Friday, Feb. 2 in El Paso, Texas (8 p.m. CT/CSTV). That game pits players from the state of Texas vs. those from the rest of the country.
NFL NETWORK 2007 SENIOR BOWL COVERAGE
Monday, January 22
3:00 PM CT - Day 1 Practice (90 minutes)
7:00 PM CT - Day 1 Recap (30 minutes)
Tuesday, January 23
9:30 AM CT - Day 2 Morning Practice (90 minutes)
4:00 PM CT - Day 2 Afternoon Practice (2 hours)
8:30 PM CT - Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Day 2 Recap (30 minutes)
Wednesday, January 24
9:30 AM CT - Day 3 Morning Practice (90 minutes)
4:00 PM CT - Day 3 Afternoon Practice (2 hours)
8:30 PM CT - Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Day 3 Recap (30 minutes)
Thursday, January 25
9:30 AM CT - Day 4 Morning Practice (90 minutes)
4:00 PM CT - Day 4 Afternoon Practice (2 hours)
7:00 PM CT - Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Day 4 Recap (30 minutes)
Saturday, January 27
2:00 PM CT - NFL Total Access pre-game show (1 hour)
3:00 PM CT - 2007 Senior Bowl, Live (3 hours)
6:00 PM CT - NFL Total Access post-game show (1 hour)
release courtesy of Senior Bowl
