Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga quarterback Alejandro Bennifield has accepted an invitation to the New Orleans Saints' mini-camp, becoming the fifth Moc from the 2017 roster to have an NFL opportunity.
A preseason second-team All-Southern Conference selection in 2017 after earning second-team postseason honors the year before, Bennifield had his senior season cut short due to an NCAA-mandated suspension for academics and an injury in his first game back against Western Carolina.
In his lone season as the starter, Bennifield threw for 2,622 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 377 yards and six scores. He threw for four touchdowns in a game on four occasions and was second in the SoCon and No. 12 in the Football Championship Subdivision with a 152.6 passer efficiency rating, while completing 64.4 percent of his passes, which ranked 10th in the country.
He joins linebacker Dale Warren and safety Lucas Webb (Buffalo Bills) and offensive lineman Josh Cardiello (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as former UTC players earning mini-camp tryouts. Linebacker Tae Davis signed a rookie free-agent deal with the New York Giants.
The group joins three players from the 2016 team - offensive lineman Corey Levin and receiver C.J. Board (Tennessee Titans) and defensive lineman Keionta Davis (New England Patriots) - and former Moc defensive back Buster Skrine (New York Jets) as UTC players affiliated with NFL teams.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.