Slippery Rock senior center Brandon Fusco prepares for the post-season exhibition gam

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He has been invited to play in the Cactus Bowl, a Division II all-star game in Texas, and is on the watch list for the Senior Bowl Jan. 29 in Mobile, Ala.

A Seneca Valley High School graduate and Cranberry Township resident, Fusco was named to the Division II Coaches All-America team Wednesday by the American Football Coaches Association. Earlier in the week, he received first-team Daktronic All-America honors in voting by sports information directors at NCAA Division II schools.

NFL scouts know about Fusco. Slippery Rock coach George Mihalik said the university had 55 scouts come through this season. He said most of them came back a second time and, "eight to 10 for a third time."

"Brandon is just very athletic for a big guy and a lean 310 pounds," Mihalik said. "He has a very quick first step and he has the ability to snap the ball and take that step. There aren't a lot of guys who can do that as well as him. It's a lot easier to take that step when you don't have to snap the ball."

In Mihalik's mind, Fusco would have started for a lot of Division I programs. He thought Fusco would be a good player when he recruited him out of high school. He never thought he would be this good.

"All the credit goes to Brandon because he has worked hard to make himself into an outstanding player," Mihalik said. "He was always in the weight room, always striving to be better, and now it's paying off."



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