Bulls in the big game: A look at USF alumni in the Super Bowl
With Super Bowl LVII less than two weeks away, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to compete for the Lombardi Trophy. This year’s championship will feature some familiar faces, with the Chiefs tenuring two former Bulls.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and center Austin Reiter both formerly suited up for USF before being drafted by their respective former teams.
Valdes-Scantling played for the Bulls from 2015-17. He totaled 75 receptions for 1,294 yards and 11 touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter, including setting the single-season receiving record in 2017.
The former Bull turned heads on Sunday’s AFC Championship game versus the Cincinnati Bengals, racking up six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in the 23-20 victory.
Valdes-Scantling was a fifth round draft pick in 2018 by the Green Bay Packers, and has enjoyed a productive career thus far.
He racked up 2,153 yards and 13 touchdowns during his stint in Green Bay before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs this past offseason. Valdes-Scantling has enjoyed a career high year, hauling in 42 receptions for 687 yards for 2 touchdowns in his first season as a Chief.
He isn’t the only South Florida alumni making an appearance in this year’s Super Bowl. Chiefs center Austin Reiter suited up for the Bulls from 2010-14. In his three seasons as a starter at USF, Reiter posted an impressive resume.
He was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List 2013 and 2014, which honors the top center in college football. He was also named to AAC All-Third team in 2014, a season in which he helped Bulls running back Marlon Mack achieve the fourth 1,000-yard season in team history
The former Bull has made 38 career starts in six seasons in the NFL.
Reiter was drafted in the seventh round by the Washington Redskins in 2015 before signing with the Cleveland Browns the following season. He then joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, starting every game at center during the Chief’s 2019 Super Bowl winning season. After bouncing around a few other team’s practice squads, Reiter rejoined the Chiefs in 2022 and has been a member of their reserves.
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
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