Football | 1/11/2017 11:34:00 AM

STATESBORO - Eight former Georgia Southern football players will have the chance to impress NFL and pro scouts this month as they participate in several all-star events around the country.

Matt Breida, Montay Crockett, Kevin Ellison, BJ Johnson III, Andy Kwon are all slated to participate in the Tropical Bowl. The Tropical Bowl is a premier FBS Division I level College Football All-Star Game played in Daytona Beach, Florida, annually in mid January. It showcases the top college football seniors to NFL scouts and GMs who travel from around the country to the event. The weekend is focused on scouting, teaching and football. 

The inaugural game was held at North Miami Stadium and the 2017 Tropical Bowl in cooperation with the City of Daytona Beach will be held at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 2016, 27 NFL teams which included over 70 scouts were in attendance.

Two former Eagles - Rayquan Sam and Darrius White - will play in the Dream Bowl in Virginia Beach. The Dream Bowl is a College Football All-Star Showcase of the best FCS, D-II and D-III players from across the country. The game and the series of events held over Martin Luther King Weekend are a celebration of the excellence, commitment and sacrifice made by the players and their families.

Younghoe Koo will participate in the 2017 College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium, which will take place from Jan. 7-11 in Bedford, Texas. The CGS provides exposure and education for top college senior football players from around the country, who are selected by a panel of football experts. Players will travel to Texas for five days to be evaluated by professional football league scouts. The players will receive professional coaching, mentoring, life coaching and seminars that will benefit them as they move forward in their professional lives in or out of football.

"When you look at each of these eight players and what they accomplished, they are certainly worthy of getting a shot at the next level," said head coach Tyson Summers. "The culture we are building around here, and the quality of players both in the program and coming in, will hopefully lead to more selections each year with the ultimate goal of them joining the current group of former Georgia Southern players playing in the NFL."