USA WR Courtney Smith has been invited to play in the Under Armour Senior Bowl. According to the rosters he is the only Sun Belt player invited (yeah, I know we aren't SB yet). Troy did have a player invited (Jerrel Jernigan) that is no longer on the roster. I am not sure what happened to him. Maybe a Troy fan can fill us in? Congratulations Courtney!

Here are the rosters:
http://seniorbowl.com/southroster.asp
http://seniorbowl.com/northroster.asp

Jernigan got hurt.

(01-23-2011 08:59 PM)USACoN2012 Wrote:  Jernigan got hurt.

Ah. Hopefully it won't affect his NFL stock negatively.

(01-23-2011 08:58 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  USA WR Courtney Smith has been invited to play in the Under Armour Senior Bowl. According to the rosters he is the only Sun Belt player invited (yeah, I know we aren't SB yet). Troy did have a player invited (Jerrel Jernigan) that is no longer on the roster. I am not sure what happened to him. Maybe a Troy fan can fill us in? Congratulations Courtney!

Here are the rosters:
http://seniorbowl.com/southroster.asp
http://seniorbowl.com/northroster.asp

Great news for Courtney and Jag fans everywhere. Hopefully he'll have both a great week of practice and game. Should be good pub for USA.

Jerrel twisted an ankle close to the end of the NO Bowl and from what I understand, may have re-aggravated it in training. He tweeted that he was focusing on getting ready for the combine.

Here is the article from USAJaguars.com about Smith:

http://usajaguars.com/news/2011/1/23/FB_0123114314.aspx

(01-24-2011 08:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Here is the article from USAJaguars.com about Smith:

http://usajaguars.com/news/2011/1/23/FB_0123114314.aspx

So he got Jernigan's spot on the roster. Congrats.

(01-24-2011 09:05 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 08:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Here is the article from USAJaguars.com about Smith:

http://usajaguars.com/news/2011/1/23/FB_0123114314.aspx

So he got Jernigan's spot on the roster. Congrats.

Way to make his accomplishment seem like a minor one...

But no. Courtney had an offer and posted such on his facebook on December 6. Apparently the Senior Bowl didn't like him posting it since it hadn't been formally announced. Courtney then had to go back and delete his facebook post, and the Senior Bowl offered him a late invite.

Check this thread, it had the early Senior Bowl invite list, and had both Smith and Jernigan.

(01-24-2011 09:26 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 09:05 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 08:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Here is the article from USAJaguars.com about Smith:

http://usajaguars.com/news/2011/1/23/FB_0123114314.aspx

So he got Jernigan's spot on the roster. Congrats.

Way to make his accomplishment seem like a minor one...

But no. Courtney had an offer and posted such on his facebook on December 6. Apparently the Senior Bowl didn't like him posting it since it hadn't been formally announced. Courtney then had to go back and delete his facebook post, and the Senior Bowl offered him a late invite.

Check this thread, it had the early Senior Bowl invite list, and had both Smith and Jernigan.

It's not a knock on him...they have alternates that fill spots whenever a spot needs filling.

(01-24-2011 10:21 PM)trojanbrutha Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 09:26 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 09:05 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  

(01-24-2011 08:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Here is the article from USAJaguars.com about Smith:

http://usajaguars.com/news/2011/1/23/FB_0123114314.aspx

So he got Jernigan's spot on the roster. Congrats.

Way to make his accomplishment seem like a minor one...

But no. Courtney had an offer and posted such on his facebook on December 6. Apparently the Senior Bowl didn't like him posting it since it hadn't been formally announced. Courtney then had to go back and delete his facebook post, and the Senior Bowl offered him a late invite.

Check this thread, it had the early Senior Bowl invite list, and had both Smith and Jernigan.

It's not a knock on him...they have alternates that fill spots whenever a spot needs filling.

He isn't a replacement. He had an invite, but the Senior Bowl wavered on that invite before inviting him again.

What people are saying about Courtney Smith:

Twitter Updates:
@DraftDaddy: "South Alabama wr #6 Courtney smith quick and big with yac ability"
@talknfldraft: "South Alabama WR sleeper Courtney Smith came in at 6'4", 220lbs. he should be a late round pick for a vertical passing team like PHI or SD"
@NFAuthority: "Early #NFL #draft sleeper to watch is South Alabama WR Courtney Smith who is 6'4 and 220 lbs. "
@WesBunting: "Really impressed with Southern Alabama WR Courtney Smith...guy was 6040...220 and was as impressive as any wide out down there"
@DraftScout: "Lou RB Bilal Powell 5-10+, not 6-1 (duh); USA WR Courtney Smith 6-4, 220, real deal; Baylor DT Phil Baylor little gut but not bad for 337"
@ShanePHallam: "New addition Courtney Smith, Wr South Alabama built like a tank. Massive, completely looks the part."
@OptimumScouting: "Courtney Smith of SA, new addition, at 6'4, 220 looked impressive, well built, looking forward to watchng him"

Sporting News:
"South Alabama wide receiver Courtney Smith definitely was the best looking prospect in the room, coming in at 6-4 and 220 pounds. Smith came to Mobile regarded as a small school receiver who needed to step up and shine against better competition, and he definitely got off to a good start."

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/NFL-Insider-Insider-i nfo/senior-bowl-weigh-ins-a-reaction.html
"Courtney Smith – WR – South Alabama: Smith looked great today with a very well built lower body and upper body. He also measured in at 6’4” and weighed in at 220 pounds with a wingspan of almost 80 inches. He’s definitely going to be somebody to watch as the week progresses."

http://draftdaddy.com/blog/nfldraft.htm
"8 Players that may have helped their Stock: South Alabama WR Courtney Smith 6040 220, Tall, great condition; Top end receiver potential."

Am I correct to assume that the Senior Bowl players are chosen based on their pro potential rather than their accomplishments in college?
This is not a knock on Courtney Smith, he appears to have the tools to potentially play on Sunday. I noticed that he would've not even made the top 10 in the SBC in receiving yards and looks like would've been 10th in total catches, playing against significantly inferior competition.

(01-25-2011 10:18 AM)Franko Wrote:  Am I correct to assume that the Senior Bowl players are chosen based on their pro potential rather than their accomplishments in college?
This is not a knock on Courtney Smith, he appears to have the tools to potentially play on Sunday. I noticed that he would've not even made the top 10 in the SBC in receiving yards and looks like would've been 10th in total catches, playing against significantly inferior competition.

USA only played 10 games this year, compared to 12 for the rest of the SunBelt (13 for Troy, MTSU, and FIU). Also, our offense didn't always call for passes. Against this 'significantly inferior' competition we were usually up big, and relied on the run to keep from running up the score so bad. In fact, for the season we only had 237 pass attempts. This figure would rank last in the Sun Belt:
528 Troy
436 ULL
435 ASU
401 ULM
384 FIU
384 MTSU
342 FAU
316 UNT
295 WKU
237 USA

There are many factors that go into selecting a player for the Senior Bowl, not just stats.

(01-25-2011 10:18 AM)Franko Wrote:  Am I correct to assume that the Senior Bowl players are chosen based on their pro potential rather than their accomplishments in college?
This is not a knock on Courtney Smith, he appears to have the tools to potentially play on Sunday. I noticed that he would've not even made the top 10 in the SBC in receiving yards and looks like would've been 10th in total catches, playing against significantly inferior competition.

Another thing to consider is the fact USA blew so many teams out of the game by the end of the 1st half, they went to basically running the clock out with backups - including even third and fourth stringers too.

I have a feeling the local connection didn't hurt.

When I was a student at UMS-Wright in the 1990s, we had one of our alums who played football at Harvard get invited to the Senior Bowl. Since the practices were held on our campus, it made for very good publicity.

Hey, I like that. Have pro potential? Want to be seen by the largest gathering of NFL personnel of the year?
Come to USA! If you are close you get in.

This is not the case with C. Smith. I was on the sideline at practice when Steve Hale of the SB watched him in NOV. He said this guy should make it. The next week I met 2 NFL scouts who were in town for him. A real (measured at the SB) 6'4 220 with good hands and speed gets a few looks.