CHICAGO — Former UTSA standout Marcus Davenport will participate in the State Farm All-Star Football Challenge, which will be televised by ESPN2 at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The 20th edition of the All-Star Football Challenge will feature 24 of college football's brightest stars divided into six teams based on their college conference. Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete for conference supremacy in a series of skills competitions. The conferences represented are the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called Team Wild Card.
The event will have encore airings on ESPN at 2 p.m. on April 14, on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. on April 16 and on ESPN2 at 10 a.m. on April 22.
Davenport, who will be on the Wild Card Team, is coming off an appearance in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Ala. The 2017 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year recorded a sack of Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield on the first series and a 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter to help the South defeat the North, 45-16. The San Antonio Stevens High School product, who set UTSA career records for tackles for loss (38.0), sacks (22.0) and QB hurries (21), also was credited with an assisted tackle and one quarterback hurry in the Senior Bowl.
The following players will participate in the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge:
Team ACC
Kurt Benkert – QB – Virginia
Tremaine Edmunds – LB – Virginia Tech
Bradley Chubb – DE – NC State
Derwin James – S – Florida State
Team Big Ten
JT Barrett – QB – Ohio State
Jerome Baker – LB – Ohio State
Sean Welsh – G – Iowa
Joshua Jackson – CB – Iowa
Team Big 12
Nic Shimonek – QB – Texas Tech
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – DE – Oklahoma
Orlando Brown – OT – Oklahoma
Mark Andrews – TE – Oklahoma
Team Pac-12
Josh Rosen – QB – UCLA
Uchenna Nwosu – LB – USC
Vita Vea – DT – Washington
Isaiah Oliver – CB – Colorado
Team SEC
Danny Etling – QB – LSU
Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama
Arden Key – DE – LSU
Armani Watts – S – Texas A&M
Team "Wild Card"
Logan Woodside – QB – Toledo
Marcus Davenport – DE – UTSA
Will Hernandez – OG – UTEP
Cedric Wilson – WR – Boise State
Each player will individually participate in a timed event and then finish with a full team event. Events will all be timed and have individual winners that will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team. For example, the quarterbacks from each team will all compete against each other to win their competition. But ultimately, their time will be added to the times of the other competitors on their conference designated team to have a final team score.
Individual events in this year's State Farm All-Star Football Challenge include: the State Farm QB Accuracy Competition, the Edward Jones Hands Competition, the Samsung Lineman Strength Challenge and the Mercedes-Benz Obstacle Course. To conclude the program, the players will compete as teams in the State Farm Team Competition.
"The revamped format that was implemented in last year's All-Star Football Challenge added the competitive spirit between the athletes that we were hoping to instill," Intersport Vice President of Sports Properties Drew Russell said. "We look forward to creating that same emotional connection for the athletes and fans of every conference viewing the event at home with another fantastic group of competitors in this year's competition."
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include three Heisman Trophy winners (Ron Dayne, Troy Smith and Jason White), 69 first-round NFL Draft picks and 33 Pro Bowlers, such as Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles, Greg Olsen, Dez Bryant, Von Miller, Vernon Davis, Joe Flacco, Donovan McNabb and Edgerrin James.
For more information on the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge, please visit facebook.com/AllStarFootball and follow on Twitter (@AllStarFBall) and Instagram (@AllStarFball).
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