Da'Jon McKnight will get to play in a bowl game after all.
The Gophers' senior receiver has accepted an invitation to take part in the NFLPA Bowl later this month in Carson, Calif., an all-star event organized by the NFL's players association.
The game is supposed to showcase potential draftees in front of NFL teams, but in a weird twist, there may be no NFL scouts at the game. The league has banned scouts from the game due to a dispute over whether underclassmen who have renounced their NCAA eligibility should be allowed to take part.
Still, it's a good opportunity for McKnight, the Gophers' leading receiver each of the past two seasons. The coaches for the game, to be held Jan. 21 at the Home Depot Center just outside Los Angeles, are Dick Vermeil and Tom Flores, each of whom has won a Super Bowl.
McKnight, a native of Dallas, graduated with 119 career catches, including 51 last season, for 1,649 yards and 15 touchdowns.