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2022 SPIRAL Tropical Bowl: 12 Mountain West Players On All-Star Game Roster
The Orlando-based college football all-star game will feature a dozen Mountain West football players.
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An interesting mix of pro prospects.
More than one college football all-star game will be taking place in central Florida this month, but none may possess more intrigue than the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl, which will feature 12 different Mountain West players from seven different teams across the conference.
What the Tropical Bowl lacks in Mountain West star power, it more than makes up for in potential. The biggest name of the group is probably Fresno State wide receiver Keric Wheatfall, who established himself as a dangerous deep threat during his time in the Central Valley by averaging 16.5 yards per catch on 78 career receptions across three seasons. He’ll be joined by fellow Bulldog Ryan Boehm, who collected 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks as part of the team’s defensive line rotation.
The Boise State Broncos and Utah State Aggies also have a pair of athletes representing their respective programs in the Tropical Bowl. Long snapper Daniel Cantrell assumed his special teams duties in 2018 and did so in every Boise State game since that year, while wide receiver CT Thomas accumulated 127 career catches for 1,610 yards and ten touchdowns in his Broncos career.
The Mountain West champions Aggies will be represented by defensive backs Kyle Mayberry and Cash Gilliam. Mayberry transferred to Logan after spending five years with Kansas last offseason, adding much-needed veteran depth in the secondary while Gilliam, a long-time Aggie who played in 23 games altogether, had his best year in 2021 by collecting 64 total tackles and two tackles for loss.
The Hawaii Warriors, on the other hand, are the only Mountain West team with three players in this game: defensive backs Eugene Ford and Colby Burton and offensive tackle Gene Pryor. According to Pro Football Focus, Pryor graded out as the fifth-best tackle in the Mountain West (74.9) and finished his Warriors career starting every game at right tackle over the past three seasons. Ford spent time at both safety and the SPUR position for Hawaii last fall and appeared in 49 total games for the Warriors from 2017-21, while Burton spent one year on the islands after three seasons with McNeese.
Rounding out the Mountain West contingent are Colorado State linebacker Anthony Koclanakis, San Diego State linebacker Andrew Aleki, and New Mexico quarterback Terry Wilson. Koclanakis had 19 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in five games for the Rams last fall. Aleki wrapped up a 47-game career with the Aztecs by scoring on two interceptions in 2021, adding a career-best 44 tackles for the West division champions. After transferring from Kentucky last year, Wilson battled injuries throughout most of his lone season with the Lobos, appearing in just six games and completing 99-of-172 passes for 1,054 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions.
The SPIRAL Tropical Bowl will be televised on a pay-per-view basis beginning at 4:00 PM on Saturday, January 15 via the Varsity Sports Network.
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