MONMOUTH, Ill. - Fighting Scots quarterback Alex Tanney and Beloit wide receiver Derek Carrier will be two of a handful of NCAA Division III players to compete in Saturday’s Players All-Star Classic in Little Rock, Ark., featuring players from all college divisions projected as having NFL draft potential. A similar showcase last year produced more than 60 NFL players.
After spending the last month at a training facility in Florida that works with current and potential professional athletes, Tanney will split time on the North squad with two other quarterbacks. He’ll also be put to the test against the highest level of collegiate competition.
“This is a good chance for Alex to show what he can do on the big stage,” said MC coach Steve Bell of Tanney, who graduated from Monmouth in January with a degree in business. “It’s always exciting to play in an all-star game, but even more so in one of this magnitude when you’re facing players from ranked Division I teams. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for Monmouth College.”
Game organizers are high on Tanney’s potential. Their Facebook post calls the 2009 Melberger Award winner and two-time Gagliardi finalist “a big guy who can absolutely stand in under pressure at the next level and take a hit.” The post goes on to say “he has a quick, good looking release, as well as solid accuracy across the board.”
Tanney completed his Monmouth career with a 162.9 pass efficiency rating and an NCAA all-divisions record 157 TD passes. He also completed more than 68 percent of his passes, including a career-high 71 percent last fall.
Carrier will also join Tanney on the North team after a highly successful senior season that culminated with a spot on the All-MWC First Team.
Carrier rewrote the receiving section of the Buccaneer Record Book, setting all-time marks for catches (189), yards (3,111) and touchdowns (29). He also broke his own single-season marks in 2011 for catches with 75 and yards with 1,250 while tying his own record with 12 touchdowns. His 88 points this season were the fourth most in a season. Carrier had 15 100-yard plus receiving games in the last three seasons, including seven this season.
According to the game’s Facebook page, “This week could make or break his chances of getting drafted in April…(he) needs to show scouts he can adjust to the speed of the game and handle the big moment.”
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Feb. 4 at War Memorial Stadium, AT&T Field in Little Rock, Ark. The game will be broadcast on some Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST) stations. CSS serves 13 states in the South. Sports network CST provides coverage in eight southeastern states as well as many cable systems and DISH Network. However, there is no local or internet broadcast of the game planned at this time.