Oregon’s Justin Herbert joins already stacked Senior Bowl QB lineup

The Senior Bowl was already shaping up as one of the best in recent memory, with a higher-than-usual number of potential first-round draft picks accepting invitations. That’s especially true at the quarterback position, as Utah State’s Jordan Love and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts headline the group.

At least, they were the headliners. The already strong group just got stronger Tuesday after Oregon QB Justin Herbert accepted his Senior Bowl invitation.

The game is Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m. EST. It will be coached by the staffs of the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 1 overall pick) and Detroit Lions (No. 3 pick).

Herbert is coming off an MVP performance against Wisconsin. He was an efficient 14-of-20 for 138 yards and 1 interception in the game. The 6-foot-6, 238-pound senior also added three rushing touchdowns, including what proved to be the game-winning 30-yard run late in the fourth quarter of a 28-27 Oregon win.

🚨Excited to announce Oregon QB and Rose Bowl MVP Justin Herbert will be coming to Mobile in less than two weeks for the @seniorbowl.
🦆 🌹 💪💯#GoDucks #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/MViD36QfIH

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 8, 2020

Herbert finished the season with 3.471 yards and 32 touchdowns passing with only six INTs while completing 66.8 percent of his passes. He’s expected to be drafted in the first round.

“It’s been a big few days for the Reese’s Senior Bowl,” said Jim Nagy, executive director for the game, in a statement, via AL.com. “Getting Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and now Oregon’s Justin Herbert is absolutely huge.

“Justin is an incredibly talented player, as well as an impressive young man. His physical tools and intellect are off the charts. He has things you can’t coach when it comes to size, athleticism, arm strength, and smarts. Getting him to Mobile will allow him to showcase all those attributes to the 32 NFL teams.”

The Senior Bowl has had four top-10 quarterbacks in Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Daniel Jones. Nagy said in the release that Herbert “will likely join that group.”

Other QBs at the 2020 Senior Bowl include Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Colorado’s Steven Montez, and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon.

Heads up, @AlabamaFTBL fans, @JalenHurts coming back to the state for one more game. The @OU_Football QB accepts @seniorbowl invite: "Jalen did some phenomenal things on the field at Alabama," @JimNagy_SB says. https://t.co/XTivHfarFi

— Mark Heim (@Mark_Heim) January 6, 2020