FRESNO, Calif. - With the 2023 football season coming to an end, several Fresno State football seniors have accepted their invitations to postseason all-star games. Being a part of these all-star games allows the former Bulldogs the opportunity to showcase their skills, on and off the field, to numerous NFL and professional level scouts.
Fresno State currently has five players who have accepted invitations. With games being played throughout the month of January, and the possibility of late invitations still being sent, this story will be updated with any additions.
Shortly after this story's initial publication, wide receiver Erik Brooks received and accepted an invitation to the College Gridiron Showcase, making it six seniors who will have the chance to put their talents on display.
On January 12, linebacker Levelle Bailey accepted his invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. Bailey received the invitation while training at the Hula Bowl.
In addition to Brooks, Morice Norris Jr. (DB), Carlton Johnson (DB), Levelle Bailey (LB), Tyrone Sampson Jr. (OL) and Nick D'Ambra (LS) are set for games throughout the month.
Brooks and Norris Jr. will kick things off this off-season at the College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium in Fort Worth, Texas from January 5-7. The CGS is the first all-star event to implement an OTA format, CGS showcases players through practices with professional coaches. Players will perform individual and team drills, participate in 1-on-1s, attend meetings, and, in many cases, have the opportunity for personal interviews with scouts and executives. In addition to exposure to scouts, CGS provides participants with a strong professional football education component that includes mentoring, life coaching, and seminars that will benefit them as they move forward in their professional lives in or outside of football. Seminars related to financial education, the life of a professional athlete, and on- and off-field player expectations are offered. At the end of the week, the Wranglers and Desperados will play in an officiated game.
More information on the 2024 College Gridiron Showcase can be found here.
Bailey and Johnson will participate in the Hula Bowl, scheduled for January 13 in Orlando, Florida. The Hula Bowl was established in 1946 as the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic game. The top 100 college football players are selected from all across the United States as well as Australia, Japan and Canada. The football players that are selected to come and showcase in the Hula Bowl are given a great opportunity to perform and impress all 32 NFL Scouts and Player Personnel with their abilities. Scouts from the CFL, XFL and USFL are also in attendance. This all-star game remains one of the longest running football all-star games today.
Bailey and Johnson represent the 25th and 26th Bulldogs to play in the Hula Bowl since 1978. Fresno State has had one player represented in the postseason game every season since 2019 - TE Jared Rice, 2019; OL Syrus Tuitele, 2020; Arron Mosby, 2021; Jordan Mims, 2022. More information on the Hula Bowl can be found here.
D'Ambra and Sampson will compete at the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl in Orlando, Florida from January 18-20. The Tropical Bowl is a premier FBS Division I level College Football All Star Game played annually in mid January at Camping World Stadium during SPIRAL "Bowl Week". The SPIRAL Tropical Bowl showcases the top college football seniors to NFL scouts and GM's who travel from around the country to the event. The weekend is focused on scouting, teaching, and football.
More information on the Tropical Bowl can be found here.
Bailey becomes the first Bulldog to receive multiple invitations this season, set to also compete at the East-West Shrine Bowl. The game will be played on Feb. 1, 2024 in Frisco, Texas. The East-West Shrine Bowl, in its 99th season, is one of the top college football postseason all-star events, featuring the best college football athletes from around the country who work throughout the week to showcase their talents in front of professional-level scouts.
Fresno State is represented at the East-West Shrine Bowl for the seventh-straight season, dating back to 2017. Last season, Bulldogs Jalen Moreno-Cropper (WR), Jordan Mims (RB) and Nikko Remigio (WR) accepted their invitations to the game. All three are currently associated with an NFL organization as undrafted free agents.
More information on the East-West Shrine Bowl can be found here.
A look back at 2023:
Levelle Bailey: A second team All-Mountain West selection, Bailey finished third on the team with 82 tackles. A starting linebacker in all 13 games, he added 5.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles on the year. Bailey was responsible for the game-winning defensive play in three different games this season with a pass breakup at Purdue (Sept. 2), an interception in double overtime against Eastern Washington (Sept. 9) and an interception in the final seconds against UNLV (Oct. 28). Bailey found himself on a handful of preseason watch lists in 2023, including watch lists for the following awards: Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Wuerffel Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Shrine Bowl, and the AllState Good Works Team. Bailey was the most experienced player on the Bulldogs' roster in 2023, having played in 58 career games while earning 49 starts since 2019. Bailey was also the defensive team captain for the season.
Erik Brooks: Brooks was Fresno State's leading receiver this season with 788 yards on 60 catches, all a single-season career-high for the senior. He added five touchdowns. Brooks had the breakout game of his career in the 2023 season opener, recording 170 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches, including the game-winning touchdown score in Fresno State's win at Purdue (Sept. 2). The senior also saw action as a punt returner and a kickoff returner for the Bulldogs, offering versatility in his role. Brooks was an All-Mountain West honorable mention selection in 2023, and was voted an offensive team captain by his peers.
Nick D'Ambra: D'Ambra appeared in all 13 games for Fresno State this season, snapping on place kicks and punts. He transferred into the Bulldog program ahead of the 2022 season. D'Ambra was a Special Teams U honorable mention All-American selection in 2023.
Carlton Johnson: Johnson earned second team All-Mountain West honors this season, starting in 12 of 13 games played at cornerback. He led the team with four interceptions, including a program-record three interceptions at Arizona State (Sept. 16) all against different quarterbacks. His performance against the Sun Devils earned him a plethora of well-deserved honors as the MW Defensive Player of the Week, and the national player of the week selected by the Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award. Johnson totaled 54 tackles, 1.0 TFL, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one quarterback hurry this season.
Morice Norris Jr.: Norris Jr earned second team All-Mountain West recognitions this season in just his second year playing Division I football. Norris Jr. was third in the MW with 12 passes defended, grabbing two interceptions with 10 pass breakups. He finished fourth on the team with 59 tackles, and added an additional 9.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Norris Jr. was a 2023 nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award that recognizes the top college football player who began their career as a walk-on.
Tyrone Sampson Jr.: Sampson Jr. was one of the longest tenured Bulldogs, joining the program in 2018. This season, he appeared in 10 games and saw starts at left guard in the first two games of the season. A versatile member of the offensive line, he was the starting center at Utah State (Oct. 13).