Linebacker Sterling Sheffield and offensive lineman Cody Levy were instrumental in leading the University of Maine football team to the best season in program history.
Now, the outgoing seniors who helped the 10-4 Black Bears win the Colonial Athletic Association title and reach the Football Championship Subdivision national semifinals have the opportunity to show their stuff for a shot at the next level.
Sheffield has been selected for the National Football League Players Association Collegiate Bowl, while Levy will attend the 2019 College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium.
Sheffield, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, is bound for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where on Jan. 19 the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 at 5 p.m.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl bills itself as is the premier postseason all-star game for draft-eligible college football players. It is a weeklong experience during which players show their skills in front of NFL scouts and coaches.
UMaine offensive lineman Jamil Demby attended the event last year and wound up being a sixth-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams. He is on their playoff roster.
The Collegiate Bowl teams will be coached by Chuck Pagano and Mike Tice, assisted by Pro Football Hall of Famers and NFL legends, including All-Pro Ed Reed, 15-year NFL veteran assistant coach Ted Tollner, former NFL star wideouts Andre Johnson and Plaxico Burress, Hall of Famer Jackie Slater, former Pro Bowl quarterback Gus Frerotte, former All-Pro linebacker Bryan Cox, NFL veteran Clinton Portis and Hall of Famer Darrell Green.
Sheffield, was a 2018 STATS Football Championship Subdivision First Team All-American and All-CAA selection, wrapped up his senior season as the CAA leader in tackles for loss (18.0), averaging 1.29 per game. The Associated Press Second-Team All-American tied for third in the CAA with 9.5 sacks and posted 6.0 tackles per game.
He finished the season with 84 tackles with three fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, an interception and seven pass deflections.
[UMaine linebacker earns second team All-America honors]
Levy, a 6-6, 300-pound tackle from Poughkeepsie, New York, is headed for Fort Worth, Texas, the site of the College Gridiron Showcase. The event runs Saturday through Tuesday.
The GCS format showcases the senior players, who are selected by a panel of experts, through practices and a controlled scrimmage to scouts and executives from top professional leagues such as the NFL and the Canadian Football League. The players also attend meetings, practice, perform individual drills, one-on-ones, team drills and in many cases have personal interviews with the scouts and executives from these pro clubs.
Athletes attending the event are provided education through seminars relating to financial education, life as a pro athlete and player expectations and social media responsibilities.
Levy made 31 career starts, including 13 this season, on the UMaine offensive line. He was an All-CAA third-team pick after helping pave the way for Ramon Jefferson to become the first 1,000-yard freshman rusher in school history.
Levy was part of a line group that enabled the Black Bears to rank fifth in the CAA in scoring (26.5 points per game) and second in averaged time of possession (31 minutes, 54 seconds) while allowing only 28 sacks (2.0 per game).