BALTIMORE, Md. – A former Morgan State football player will get a chance to showcase his skills in front of NFL personnel this weekend.
Joshua Miles will suit up for the East team in the
East-West Shrine Game.
The East-West Shrine Game will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., kicking off at 3 p.m. EST/2 p.m. CST and broadcast live on NFL Network.
Miles becomes the first player in program history to compete in the East-West Shrine game.
Miles missed the entire 2017 season due to being ruled academically ineligible, but bounced back in a major way after adjusting his priorities heading into the 2018 season.
"I really used it as motivation," Miles said. "I worked hard in the classroom and got my GPA above 3.3 for both semesters, so I righted that wrong. Then I really threw myself into training, and I also got a lot of reps with the scout team, which allowed me to perfect my technique."
Miles was selected to the preseason All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) team and was voted as a captain by his teammates. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive tackle started every game and was named the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week three times during the 2018 season.
He allowed just one sack all year and helped lead the Bears offense to 3,250 total yards, including 1,812 yards on the ground. He finished the season as an All-MEAC selection.
"It's a huge honor to be selected to the East-West Shrine Game," Miles said. "I'm really glad my hard work hasn't gone unnoticed and I'm ready to prove why I can compete with college football's elite talent.
"Representing the Blue and Orange means so much to me because it's been so long since we had someone from MSU representing our school in one of the major All-Star games. I'm really excited to go to Florida and put on for the Bears."
While the teams are divided by East and West, the players come together for the beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children®, an international pediatric specialty health care system that treats children in orthopedics, spinal cord injuries, cleft lift and palate, and burns, regardless of the families' ability to pay.
Those who would like to support Miles and the East-West Shrine Game can do the following: Attend the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. EST or tune in to watch the game on NFL Network.
East-West Shrine Game tickets are on sale Dec. 1 through all Tickets.com outlets. Game tickets are $15 general admission seating.