6 players to represent Western Pennsylvania schools at NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

The eighth annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl game will be well represented with players from district colleges.

The all-star game, which consists of college seniors, will be played Jan. 19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. It will include six players from Western Pennsylvania schools among the 112 participants on the American and National team rosters.

Playing on the American team will be Duquesne wide receiver Nehari Crawford and Gannon fullback Marcus Jones. Suiting up the the National team will be Pitt fullback George Aston, Penn State linebacker Koa Farmer and safety Nick Scott, and Slippery Rock running back Wes Hills.

Crawford had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Duquesne, and he set career highs with 71 catches for 1,048 yards in 2018. Jones rushed for 1,708 yards in 2018 after amassing 2,176 rushing yards as a junior. He combined for 50 rushing touchdowns in his final two seasons at Gannon and is the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns.

At Pitt, Aston was a former walk-on linebacker who developed into a bruising blocker. Farmer had 53 tackles in his final year at Penn State, and Scott contributed 65 tackles, one sack and three interceptions.

Hills set Slippery Rock’s single-season rushing record with 1,714 yards despite missing two games because of injury.

The American team will be coached by former Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano, and the National team will be coached by former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice.

Scouts and NFL personnel from all 32 teams are expected to attend the practices and game, which will be televised by FS1 at 5 p.m. on Jan. 19.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.