College football has entered the heart of the bowl season, and 18 Santa Clarita Valley alumni finish another year at their respective universities around the country.
Bryan Mills – North Carolina Central University
Through his first season with the Eagles, the former College of the Canyons defensive back recorded a total of 22 tackles (17 solo). Mills also intercepted the ball five times this season, including a three-interception game at Morgan State and a 61-yard interception return against Delaware State.
Bobby Brown II – San Jose State
The former Cougar is in his junior season with the Spartans. He made eight appearances in the 2019 season and recorded 24 tackles. Brown was able to take down 13 runners on his own and intercepted three passes.
His season-highs all came in a 31-24 win against SEC opponent Arkansas. He had seven tackles in the game and picked off two Razorback passes for a total of 32 yards.
Noel Iwuchukwu – Arkansas State
Another College of the Canyons product, Iwuchukwu appeared in nine games for the Red Wolves, including their 34-26 Camellia Bowl win over Florida International. Throughout the season, he recorded 14 tackles (nine solo).
Brady White – Memphis
White is in his second season as the Tigers’ signal-caller. This season, he led his team to a 12-1 overall record and an American Athletic Conference Championship. The Tigers are No. 17, and White will have a chance to play on one of the biggest stages in college football at the Cotton Bowl versus No. 10 Penn State.
The former Hart quarterback has completed 64.1% of his passes this season for a total of 3,560 yards. White has scored 33 touchdowns through the air compared to only nine interceptions. He also has tallied three scores on the ground.
Hart football fans can watch the Cotton Bowl Classic at noon Saturday on ESPN.
J.T. Shrout – Tennessee
Another former Hart quarterback, Shrout made four appearances for the Volunteers in his freshman year. In those four games, he only attempted 27 passes, completing 13 of them for a 48.1% completion rating.
Shrout scored his lone touchdown of the season against conference opponent South Carolina. Tennessee will be competing in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2. The game can be watched on ESPN.
Jay Jay Wilson – Auburn
In his senior year with the Tigers, Wilson played in seven games. As a product out of Valencia High School, he established himself as a passing back. He recorded 121 receiving yards on 12 receptions and one touchdown.
The No. 12 Tigers will be taking on the No. 18 Golden Gophers in the Outback Bowl at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN.
Andrew Brito – University of Massachusetts
Brito is another College of the Canyons graduate. In nine games with the Minutemen, he has completed 54.7% of his passes for 830 yards. Brito threw for seven touchdowns and six interceptions in 2019.
His season-high came against UConn, where he completed 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
RB Marlow III – Bowling Green
The wide receiver out of College of the Canyons caught 22 passes for 217 yards this season for the Falcons this season. He also tallied 77 yards on the ground with 16 rushing attempts. His season-high came at Kent State in late September. Marlow tacked on 69 yards on six catches in that game.
AJ Stanley – Southern Utah
In his sophomore year with the Thunderbirds, the former College of the Canyons safety played in two games. In the season opener at UNLV, Stanley tackled four runners, all solo tackles. He also forced one fumble in a 59-34 win over Idaho State on Halloween night.
Khalid Taylor – Southern Utah
Another Cougar product turned Thunderbird; Taylor made appearances in three games in 2019. He tallied his only tackle in Southern Utah’s season opener at UNLV. He also recorded two interceptions this season. One against Stephen F. Austin and the other against North Dakota.
Michael Colangelo – Claremont McKenna
The defensive back out of Hart started his college career strong with an interception in his debut at the University of Puget Sound. He went on the pick-off two more passes throughout 10 games at Claremont McKenna. He was the fourth-best tackler for the Stags with 43 tackles and 36 solo tackles.
Jarrin Pierce – Middle Tennessee State
The 3-star wide receiver out of College of the Canyons played in all 12 games for the Blue Raiders in 2019. He finished the year with 562 yards on 42 receptions, ranking second on the team.
He scored his first touchdown in a Blue Raider uniform against Michigan and finished the season with four. He ran the ball one time for a nine-yard gain.
Colton Dolder – Chadron State
A freshman kicker for the Eagles and Saugus alumnus; Dolder made 10-of-13 field goal attempts. His longest recorded field goal is 35 yards.
More: Hart football alumnus wins AAC championship with Memphis
Travis Reiner – Indiana State
Reiner was SCV through and through. After graduating from Saugus he decided to take a year at College of the Canyons. In his second year as a Sycamore, he punted the ball 65 times for an average of 37.5 yards per punt. His longest punt of the year was a 55-yard kick in a 20-10 win over Western Illinois.
Gary Bojorquez – La Verne
The cornerback out of Saugus high school wrapped up his third season with the Leopards. In eight games, he tallied 13 tackles this season and seven solo tackles. He also forced two turnovers with an interception against Claremont and a fumble recovery at Occidental.
Egidio DellaRipa – Vanderbilt
The former West Ranch offensive lineman played in 11 games for the Commodores this season and was part of an offense that averaged 298.8 yards per game.
Dorian Gerald – Arkansas
The former Cougar only made one appearance for the Razorbacks in their season opener against Portland State. He recorded one tackle in that game before a neck injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
