IRVING, Texas (Feb. 7, 2014) – Nine members of the 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments,  have been invited to participate in the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 22-25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Max Bullough (LB, Michigan State), Derek Carr (QB, Fresno State), Gabe Ikard (C, Oklahoma), Spencer Long (G, Nebraska), Jeff Mathews (QB, Cornell), James Morris (LB, Iowa), Aaron Murray (QB, Georgia), Dustin Vaughan (QB, West Texas A&M) and 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy winner John Urschel (G, Penn State) will perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts in hopes of improving their draft stocks.

The NFL Network and NFL.com will have coverage of the Scouting Combine daily from February 22-25. The NFL Draft is scheduled for May 8-10, with the first round taking place on Thursday night.

Urschel, the 24th recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy, is a three-time Academic All-District selection at Penn State who garnered back-to-back First Team Academic All-America honors in 2012 and 2013. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics in May 2012, a master’s in mathematics a year later, and he is currently working on a second master’s degree in math education – all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten guard, Urschel paved the way for three-straight 1,000-yard rushers and helped the Lions to winning seasons in all four years of his career. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Urschel as the No. 8 offensive guard in the draft.

The all-time leading passer in SEC history, Murray was a 2013 First Team Academic-All American at Georgia and earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a 3.30 GPA in only three years. Carr won back-to-back Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Awards while breaking almost every passing record at Fresno State, all while maintaining a 3.47 GPA.

Ikard, the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, maintained a perfect 4.0 at Oklahoma while earning both AFCA and Walter Camp First Team All-American honors. Long, a former walk-on at Nebraska who turned into an All-Big Ten lineman, maintained a 3.79 GPA on the way to being named a 2013 First Team Academic All-American.

Morris, a 2013 First Team Academic All-American with a 3.84 GPA, became just the sixth player to record 400 career tackles in Iowa history. Bullough, a two-time First Team All-Big Ten linebacker at Michigan State, was named to the 2013 First Team Academic All-America Team with a 3.56 GPA in finance.

Vaughan, a 2013 AP First Team Little All-America quarterback at West Texas A&M, set school and conference career records for passing yards and touchdowns while maintaining a 3.86 GPA in biology. Mathews became the Ivy League’s career passing leader while sustaining a 3.45 GPA in applied economics and management at Cornell.

The nine hope to join past National Scholar-Athletes who have played in the NFL ranks, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (Purdue, 2000), 2014 NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Derrick Brooks (Florida State, 1994), Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker (Minnesota, 2009), Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie (Boston College, 1984), New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (Mississippi, 2003), Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (1997 Campbell Trophy winner at Tennessee), Pro and College Football Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma, 1975), Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (Miami, Fla., 2003) and Pro and College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young (BYU, 1983). Forty-one former National-Scholar Athletes are currently on NFL rosters.

The NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is the first initiative in history to award scholar-athletes postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. This year’s class members finds themselves in good company, as past National Scholar-Athletes include Southern California Athletics Director Pat Haden (USC, 1974); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA, 1973); Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) President Chris Howard (1990 Campbell Trophy winner at Air Force); West Virginia Athletics Director Oliver Luck (West Virginia, 1981); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond, 1985); and chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia, 1968).