Vulcan QB Josh Portis to participate in NFL Combine

CALIFORNIA (Feb. 21) – Former California University of Pennsylvania quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland) was selected to participate in the upcoming NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis from Feb. 24-27.

Portis is the first player from the Vulcans to attend the NFL Combine. He is one of only 18 quarterbacks invited to attend the annual event, which will be attended by the top executives, coaching staffs and player personnel departments from all 32 NFL teams.

In only two years at Cal U, Portis established himself among the best quarterbacks in program history. He finished his career ranked fourth in school history with 6,072 passing yards and set the all-time record with 69 touchdown passes.

The 6-4 quarterback passed for 2,650 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2010. He also completed a career-best 61.2 percent (205-for-335) of his passes and led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with a passing efficiency of 156.0.

Portis, a two-time All-PSAC West selection, received All-America Honorable Mention laurels from D2Football.com earlier this month and was a regional finalist for the 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.

Among the notable quarterbacks attending this year’s NFL Combine are Alabama’s Greg McElroy, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet and Auburn’s Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton. Portis and Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin, a transfer from Penn State, are the only two quarterbacks from non-FBS programs invited to the event.

The NFL Combine will air live on NFL Network from Feb. 24-March 1.

Last year, there were 19 quarterbacks invited to the NFL Combine and 12 were selected within the seven rounds of the NFL Draft.

The 2011 NFL Draft will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City from April 28-30 and will broadcast live on a variety of ESPN outlets and the NFL Network.