Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs to the Pros: East-West Shrine & NFLPA Bowls
1/17/2020 7:23:00 PM | Football
Four former Deacs are set to compete with the nation's best at the East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Bowls on Saturday
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – This weekend marks the official beginning to the draft evaluation process with four former Wake Forest football players set to play in College All-Star Games this weekend.
In the first game on Saturday afternoon, offensive lineman Jake Benzinger will compete for the East squad in the East-West Shrine Game. The Williamston, Mass. Native started 40 games in his five years at Wake Forest. He started all 13 games this season at right tackle helping lead the offense to 464.0 yards per game, which ranked 15th in FBS.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (ET) in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game can also be seen on NFL Network.
Immediately following Benzinger, wide receivers Kendall Hinton and Scotty Washington and defensive back Amari Henderson will be playing in the NFLPA Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Hinton was one of just nine receivers in the ACC to have over 1,000 yards receiving this season. He and Sage Surratt became the first Demon Deacon duo in program history to go for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Henderson led the team with four interceptions this season and was one of 10 Wake Forest players to pick off a pass in 2019. The Deacs were one of just six schools in the FBS to have 10-plus players intercept a pass this season.
Washington had his best season as a Demon Deacon in 2019 scoring a career-high seven touchdowns while averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He started the season with a touchdown in five of the first six games while having a pair of scores in victories over Elon and Rice. He had at least two catches in all eight games he played in this season.
The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. from the Rose Bowl and can also be seen on NFL Network.
NFL Playoffs Divisional Round
After both the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks fell in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, there are no former Demon Deacons vying for the Super Bowl.
Offensive lineman Phil Haynes and the Seahawks nearly came back to defeat the Packers on the road with the help of the rookie guard.
With less than 10 minutes left in the game and Seattle trailing 28-17, veteran running back Marshawn Lynch followed the lead block of Haynes to get into the endzone.
Despite the score, the Seahawks fell 28-23 and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor and the Houston Texans also fell on Sunday as they were eliminated by the Chiefs in Kansas City. Ejiofor is still in the process of rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered in May.
#DeacsToThePros
GoDeacs.com will continue to follow former Wake Forest players as they take their next step into the pros. Follow along right here on GoDeacs.com or by following along on our Twitter (@WakeFB), Instagram (wakefootball) and Facebook (WakeForestFootball) channels.
To join the conversation, use the hashtags #DeacsToThePros, #WakeForever and #GoDeacs.
In the first game on Saturday afternoon, offensive lineman Jake Benzinger will compete for the East squad in the East-West Shrine Game. The Williamston, Mass. Native started 40 games in his five years at Wake Forest. He started all 13 games this season at right tackle helping lead the offense to 464.0 yards per game, which ranked 15th in FBS.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (ET) in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game can also be seen on NFL Network.
Immediately following Benzinger, wide receivers Kendall Hinton and Scotty Washington and defensive back Amari Henderson will be playing in the NFLPA Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Hinton was one of just nine receivers in the ACC to have over 1,000 yards receiving this season. He and Sage Surratt became the first Demon Deacon duo in program history to go for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Henderson led the team with four interceptions this season and was one of 10 Wake Forest players to pick off a pass in 2019. The Deacs were one of just six schools in the FBS to have 10-plus players intercept a pass this season.
Let's gooo! 😤#NFLPABowl | #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/OLsE5krS0Y
— Amari H. (Rico) (@A4_Hen) January 17, 2020
Washington had his best season as a Demon Deacon in 2019 scoring a career-high seven touchdowns while averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He started the season with a touchdown in five of the first six games while having a pair of scores in victories over Elon and Rice. He had at least two catches in all eight games he played in this season.
The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. from the Rose Bowl and can also be seen on NFL Network.
NFL Playoffs Divisional Round
After both the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks fell in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, there are no former Demon Deacons vying for the Super Bowl.
Offensive lineman Phil Haynes and the Seahawks nearly came back to defeat the Packers on the road with the help of the rookie guard.
With less than 10 minutes left in the game and Seattle trailing 28-17, veteran running back Marshawn Lynch followed the lead block of Haynes to get into the endzone.
.@PhilHaynes95 leading the way 💪#ProDeacs 🎩
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) January 13, 2020
pic.twitter.com/XsgZGAiru2
Despite the score, the Seahawks fell 28-23 and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor and the Houston Texans also fell on Sunday as they were eliminated by the Chiefs in Kansas City. Ejiofor is still in the process of rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered in May.
#DeacsToThePros
GoDeacs.com will continue to follow former Wake Forest players as they take their next step into the pros. Follow along right here on GoDeacs.com or by following along on our Twitter (@WakeFB), Instagram (wakefootball) and Facebook (WakeForestFootball) channels.
To join the conversation, use the hashtags #DeacsToThePros, #WakeForever and #GoDeacs.
📍Tampa
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) January 15, 2020
Tune in Saturday to watch Jake in the East-West Shrine Game.
📺: NFL Network#WakeForever | #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/poxqqENndb
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