March 17, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams will send five players who have exhausted their collegiate athletic eligibility to the National Football League Pro Day on Monday morning at the Pruitt Football Complex on the campus of Wake Forest University.

Five WSSU football players will participate in a variety of skill tests and weight room activities for scouts from numerous National Football League member organizations on Monday morning in Winston-Salem, NC.

Highlighting the Rams' class of pro prospects are tight end Stan Wright, punter/kicker Chad Oakley, defensive lineman Jason Holman, and offensive linemen Michael Champaign and John Mobley.

Stan Wright, a 6'5" tight end from Durham, NC heads to the pro day as the Rams' all-time leader in consecutive starts as he started all 41 games during his WSSU career.  A prolific blocker with technically sound fundamentals, Wright caught 10 passes for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season.  Wright recorded scoring catches versus Savannah State University and Saint Augustine's College in 2006 as he finished his WSSU career with 37 catches for over 500 yards and six touchdowns.

Chad Oakley, a 6'1", 175 pound punter and place kicker from Haw River, North Carolina may very well be the Rams best pro prospect.  Oakley participated in, and started 42 games during his WSSU career as the two-time All-Conference punter led the Rams in punting for all four seasons during his tenure.

Oakley led the Rams in punting in 2006 as he tallied 53 punts for 2,277 yards en route to an average of 43.0 yards per punt.  Oakley collected 11 touch backs, seven fair catches, and recorded 13 punts of 50 yards or more with nine kicks being downed inside opponent's 20 yard line.  During Oakley's five-year career (with a medical red shirt season limiting him to only one game in 2005) he had only four kicks blocked as he hasn't had a kick blocked since the 2004 season.

In addition to his punting duties, Oakley hammered 41 kickoffs for 2,443 yards en route to an average of 59.6 yards per kick in 2006 with eight touch backs.  As well Oakley picked up the field goal kicking duties late in 2006 as he converted five of six field goal attempts with a long FG of 48 yards as he recorded 25 points on the season which included a perfect 10-for-10 PAT kicking performance.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jason Holman, a 6'3", 285 pound defensive lineman from Midlothian, Virginia will represent the Rams only defensive pro prospect.  Holman, a transfer from the University of Maryland who appeared in, and started, all 21 games during his WSSU career, recorded 25 tackles in 2006 including two forced fumbles and a sack for a loss of nine yards.  An All-Conference selection in 2005 (the Rams participated as an independent in 2006) Holman has an NFL-size body and excellent foot speed that has impressed several NFL member clubs.

WSSU continues to prove to be an offensive lineman factory as the Rams will again send a pair of offensive lineman to Pro Day as both Michael Champaign and John Mobley will show their wares for pro scouts on Monday.

Champaign, a 6'8", 315 pound lineman from Columbia, South Carolina finished his WSSU career as a four-year starter for the Rams as he helped to anchor a Ram rushing attack that led the conference in yards from scrimmage for three seasons as well as saw a pair of running backs crack the 1,000 yard barrier in the same season twice.  Champaign appeared in 36 games for the Rams during his career and has attracted the attention of several NFL clubs.

Mobley, another anchor on the WSSU offensive line has attracted much attention throughout his two-year WSSU football career.  The 6'5", 320 pound Mobley has been compared to former Ram, and current Miami Dolphin lineman Emmanuel Akah.  Mobley finishes his WSSU career with 21 appearances and 20 starts as he anchored a WSSU offensive front that saw three 1,000 yard rushers over a two-year span.

All five Rams will participate in Pro Day on Monday morning starting at 9:00 am at the Pruitt Football Complex on the campus of Wake Forest University.

For additional information on WSSU football or the Rams' pro prospects, or to arrange personal interviews with individual WSSU players or coaching staff members, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.

- wssurams.com -