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BOCA RATON – FAU defensive end Haiden Nagel always wanted to play on Sundays.
Now he’ll get the chance – at least for one day.
Nagel accepted an invitation to play in the Tropical Bowl all-star game, to be played Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in Daytona Beach.
“I was just really excited I got the invitation,” Nagel said.
A former walk-on who earned a scholarship at FAU, Nagel counted 2.5 sacks among his 17 tackles as a senior.
Nagel played mostly defensive end during his FAU career, but in some schemes this season he moved to the interior of the defensive line. He said he’ll play defensive end on Sunday.
Former Owls Tevin Homer, a cornerback, and Shalom Ogbonda, a defensive tackle, participated in the Tropical Bowl last year. Primarily a special teams performer during his time at FAU, Homer turned his performance in the Tropical Bowl into an invitation to Washington Redskins camp. Ogbonda received a tryout with the New York Jets.
The year prior safety Sharrod Neasman and offensive lineman Mike Marsaille played in the inaugural Tropical bowl. Neasman built on that performance, signing a free agent contract with Atlanta. Last year he became the first former Owl to play in the Super Bowl.
Nagel is the second FAU senior to accept an invitation to play in a college all-star game. Wide receiver Kalib Woods will play in the NFLPA bowl on Jan. 20.
Woods missed the first half of his senior year after being suspended for his role in an off-campus fight that put two FAU students in the hospital and led to him being charged with two counts of felony battery.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges, which are still pending. Woods’ next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 28.
Despite missing six games, Woods still caught 24 passes for 619 yards – the second most receiving yards for the Owls in 2017. Four of those catches resulted in touchdowns.
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