Colorado State University Athletics
Trio of Rams will showcase talents for NFL scouts
1/10/2019 9:00:00 AM | Football
Olabisi Johnson to play in Jan. 19 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl; Wyatt Bryan and Ben Knox in Tropical Bowl
FORT COLLINS, Colo.— Three members of Colorado State's football program have accepted invitations to showcase their skills before NFL scouts in postseason all-star games.
Wide receiver Olabisi Johnson has accepted an invitation to play in the Jan. 19 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, while kicker Wyatt Bryan and offensive tackle Ben Knox will have the opportunity to compete in the Jan. 13 Spiral Tropical Bowl in Daytona Beach, Fla. Each finished his collegiate eligibility with the Rams in 2018.
Johnson, a 6-0, 203-pound wide receiver from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colo., finished his career ranked 10th in program history with 2,019 receiving yards on 125 receptions (16.2) with 11 TDs in 49 games played. He also returned 26 career punts for 170 yards (6.5) with a long of 38. In 2018 Johnson finished with career-high numbers of 54 receptions for 796 yards (14.7) and four touchdowns, with a long of 58. Johnson, who holds the CSU single-game record for receiving yards with 265 against Idaho in the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, recorded three 100-yard games in 2018, including a season-high 157 yards (plus 2 TDs) in the season opener vs. Hawai'i (8/25). He posted five career 100-yard games, and earned his bachelor's degree in hospitality management from Colorado State in December 2018.
Bryan, a 6-1, 175-pound kicker from Larkspur, Colo., prepped at Douglas Country High School before walking on to the CSU football team in 2014 and going on to become the Rams' all-time leading scorer with 337 career points. Bryan, who earned a scholarship as a junior in 2017, broke the CSU scoring record, previously held by running back Steve Bartalo (294 pts., 1983-86), in the Rams' Sept. 8 win over Arkansas, in which he made four field goals. He also finished his career with the CSU record for made field goals (53). His 2018 resume included a career-best 55-yard field goal in the win over Arkansas, and he finished his career 6-9 on attempts of 50 yards or longer. Bryan ranks fifth in career field-goal percentage, finishing his career at .736 (53-72), and tied for fourth all-time in games played by a CSU Ram, with 51 (tied with Trent Matthews). He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as a junior in 2017, and was named to the Groza Award watch list before the 2018 season. A mechanical engineering major, Bryan was a 2018 semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded annually to the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. He has earned Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-MW honors in 2015, '16 and '17 with a GPA above 3.6.
Knox, a 6-6, 320-pound offensive tackle from DeLand, Fla., played two seasons for the Rams after transferring from Independence Community College in Kansas. Knox, who began his career at the University of South Florida in 2014, out of DeLand High School, started all 12 games for the Rams at right tackle in 2018 and helped the Rams to rank 14th in the FBS in passing offense (304.9). In his first season at Colorado State, in 2017, he played in 11 games, starting seven at right tackle. Knox was part of an offensive line in his junior season that helped the Rams to rank as the No. 1 offense in the Mountain West, and 11th in FBS, averaging 492.5 yards per game, and allowing just 1.0 sack per game (5th in FBS). He is majoring in communication studies.
Last year former Rams running back Dalyn Dawkins and offensive lineman Zack Golditch took part in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, and both signed free agent contracts with NFL clubs after going undrafted in 2018.
Dawkins spent training camp with the Tennessee Titans, and then much of the season with the organization on the practice squad, in addition to two stints on the active roster. Golditch spent training camp with the L.A. Chargers, then spent time on the practice squads of the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts before being signed to the Arizona Cardinals' active roster in November. He played in two games for the Cardinals.
Four recent Rams have participated in the Tropical Bowl: TE Steven Walker after the 2015 season, OLs Nick Callender and Fred Zerblis (2016) and Darnell Thompson (2017).
