Wootton to play in Senior Bowl

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern senior defensive end Corey Wootton (Rutherford, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) has been selected to play in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl, the nation's premier pre-draft event that generally features the top NFL draft prospects from across the country.

The game will be played at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 30 in Mobile, Ala., at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The NFL Network will televise the contest.

Wootton started a school-record 49 games for the Wildcats and closed his illustrious career with 156 tackles, 38 TFL's (19.5 of those are sacks), 12 pass deflections and four interceptions. In two of his four seasons (2006 and 2008), he recorded a statistic in every major defensive category -- tackles, TFL's, sacks, pass deflections, interceptions, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles, QB hurries and blocked kicks. Wootton finished third on NU's all-time sacks list and fourth on its career TFL list.

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, Wootton was honored as a Playboy Preseason All-American. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound defensive end battled back from a major knee injury in the 2008 Valero Alamo Bowl to play in all 13 games this year, despite being slowed with a high ankle sprain he suffered against Purdue on Oct. 3. Wootton earned All-Big Ten honors three times during his career (first-team selection in 2008, and honorable mention in 2006 and 2009).

Wootton becomes the 24th player in Northwestern history to earn an invite to the Senior Bowl.

OTHER NU FOOTBALL NOTES:

The Big Ten Network will re-air the Wildcats' 2010 Outback Bowl game vs. Auburn at 9:30 p.m. CT on Monday, Jan. 11. The BTN will air it 60-minute bowl wrap-up show at 9 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 14

Senior cornerback Sherrick McManis, who along with Mike Kafka, is playing in the Jan. 23 East-West Shrine Game, is being honored by the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame as its 2009-10 Tri-County Male Athlete of the Year. McManis, who attended Peoria Richwoods H.S., will be honored Sunday, March 14 in Peoria.