MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football players Kawaan Baker and Riley Cole have been selected to the Reese's Senior Bowl Top 250 List as announced by the organization on Thursday.
The selections marked the ninth-straight year that South has had at least one member of the program named to the preseason list, while it's the first multi-selection since 2015 when Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson II were recognized by the organization heading into the season. The Jaguars have also had multiple players named to the Senior Bowl watch list three other occasions: 2014 (Brandon Bridge and Wes Saxton), 2013 (Romelle Jones and Enrique Williams) and 2012 (Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott).
Baker, who was named third-team preseason all-Sun Belt Conference by both Athlon and Phil Steele Publications, enters his final collegiate season tied for eighth on the school career record list with 75 receptions, seventh with 1,170 yards receiving and tied for seventh with eight touchdown catches. The 6-foot-1 receiver also stands sixth with 1,783 all-purpose yards and 114 points as well as third with 19 total touchdowns scored.
Last season, Baker led the team with 35 catches for 574 yards and was also named honorable mention all-Sun Belt Conference, and he added 82 yards rushing and 35 on kick returns to post 692 all-purpose yards, the second-highest total on the squad. Baker led team in receptions in four contests and in receiving yards on five occasions, while also registering 12 plays of 20 or more yards — the second-highest total on the squad.
The honor is the third of the preseason for Cole as he was named second-team all-Sun Belt Conference by Phil Steele Publications and third-team all-league by Athlon earlier this summer. The 6-foot-3 linebacker earned honorable mention all-league honors from the coaches and media a season ago after being credited with 59 total stops, including nine behind the line of scrimmage which was the second-highest total on the team.
Cole posted his best outing of 2019 against Troy when he led all players with a career-best 11 tackles in the annual "Battle For The Belt" contest. He also paced South after making eight stops against eventual Sun Belt West Division champion Louisiana, and posted a career-high two tackles for loss in season opener at 24th-ranked Nebraska.
ABOUT THE REESE'S SENIOR BOWL
The Reese's Senior Bowl is the nation's most prestigious college all-star game, as it annually serves as the first step of the NFL draft process. The Reese's Senior Bowl has had 93 total players and 40 selected in the first three rounds each of the past two years, including 10 first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 93 figure represents nearly 40% of the total draft these past two years. One thing that differentiates the Reese's Senior Bowl from other all-star games is the participation of two full NFL coaching staffs. Last year, the two teams were coached by the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals and there were over 900 credentialed NFL personnel in Mobile, Ala for game week.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSout_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
—USA—
