Kaaya to Take Part in the 2017 State Farm Challenge
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Former University of Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya will take part in the 2017 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge. The annual event will be held in Dallas at AT&T Stadium.
The event is scheduled to air Friday, Feb. 3, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The event will have encore airings on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET on April 8 and on ESPN2 at noon ET on April 23.
For the first time, the skills competition will feature 24 of college football’s brightest stars divided into six teams based on their college conference. The conferences represented are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called the “Wild Card” team. Each team will also be designated a current NFL player that was a prolific college star in that team’s conference to serve as a coach and mentor throughout the competition.
Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete for conference supremacy in a series of skills competitions.
Team ACC
Brad Kaaya – QB – Miami
Dalvin Cook – RB – Florida State
Cordrea Tankersley – CB – Clemson
Adam Bisnowaty – OT – Pittsburgh
Luke Kuechly – Boston College – Carolina Panthers
Team Big Ten
C.J. Beathard – QB – Iowa
Anthony Walker Jr. – LB – Northwestern
Amara Darboh – WR – Michigan
Chris Wormley – DT – Michigan
Melvin Gordon – Wisconsin – San Diego Chargers
Team Big 12
Pat Mahomes – QB – Texas Tech
Samaje Perine – RB – Oklahoma
Dede Westbrook – WR – Oklahoma
Vincent Taylor – DT – Oklahoma State
Aqib Talib – Kansas – Denver Broncos
Team Pac-12
Davis Webb – QB – California
Takkarist McKinley – LB – UCLA
Bubba Baker – S – Washington
Elijah Qualls – DT – Washington
DeSean Jackson – California – Washington Redskins
Team SEC
Trevor Knight – QB – Texas A&M
Charles Harris – LB – Missouri
Quincy Wilson – CB – Florida
Montravius Adams – DT – Auburn
Landon Collins – S – New York Giants
Kaaya received a bid to this year’s team after he started every game during the 2016 season and was a mainstay for the Hurricanes under center since his 2014 freshman season. During his three seasons at Miami, Kaaya started 38 games and became the school’s all-time career leader in passing yards (9,968), completions (720) and attempts (1,188).
The Los Angeles native threw 69 career touchdown passes, which ranks third in program history, and his 60.6 percent career completion percentage also ranks third on UM’s all-time list. In addition, he is the only quarterback in Miami history to surpass 3,000 yards through the air in three straight seasons.
During his junior season, Kaaya posted single-season career highs in completions (261), attempts (421), yards (3,532) and touchdowns (27).
Over the final five games of his collegiate career, Kaaya threw 14 touchdown passes and had just one interception.
Each player will individually participate in a timed event, and then finish with a full team event. Events will all be timed and have individual winners that will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team. For example, the quarterbacks from each team will all compete against each other to win their competition. But ultimately, their time will be added to the times of the other competitors on their conference designated team to have a final team score.
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include three Heisman Trophy winners (Ron Dayne, Troy Smith and Jason White), 65 first-round NFL Draft picks and 32 Pro Bowlers, such as: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles, Greg Olsen, Dez Bryant, Von Miller, Vernon Davis, Joe Flacco, Donovan McNabb and Edgerrin James.
