INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Slippery Rock University senior offensive center Brandon Fusco added another prestigious honor to his collection during the holiday period when he received an invitation to participate in the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.

Fusco is the first Rock football student athlete to ever be invited to the Combine, which annually features over three hundred of the best college football players in the nation.

The Combine's list of participants primarily includes NCAA Division I student athletes.

Top executives, coaches, player personnel directors and medical personnel from all 32 National Football League teams will be on hand to evaluate the top prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft.

The 2011 Combine will be held Feb. 23 through March 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home facility of the NFL Indianapolis Colts.

Combine participants are determined annually by a selection committee comprised of the directors of the National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent 25 NFL teams, as well as members of various NFL player personnel departments.

All eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. The goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft.

Fusco, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound native of Cranberry Township and graduate of Seneca Valley High School, is currently ranked fifth among draft-eligible centers by cbssports.com and is the only Division II player ranked in the top five draft prospects at any position. He is projected by cbssports.com to be a fifth- or sixth-round NFL draft pick.

Prior to receiving the NFL Scouting Combine invitation, Fusco's resume included:

• 2010 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award winner;

• Associated Press Little All-America Team (top NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA football players in the nation);

• First-team American Football Coaches Association Division II All-America Team;

• First-team Daktronics Inc. All-America;

• Invitations to participate in the Cactus Bowl (Division II), East-West Shrine and NFLPA Game postseason all-star games;

• On the watch list for the Jan. 29 Senior Bowl all-star game in Mobile, Ala.

• 2010 first-team Preseason All-America honors from The Sporting News, Consensus Draft Services, D2Football.com and D2PRODAY.com.

• First-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division honors for three consecutive seasons (2008-10).

• 2009 Don Hansen's Football Gazette second-team Postseason All-America;

• 2009 Football Gazette and Daktronics first-team all-region honors;

• Finished third in 2009 Upshaw Award Super Region One voting;

• 2008 third-team Football Gazette all-region selection;

• 2009 Rock Offensive MVP

• Two-year Rock team captain;

• Started all 44 Rock games from 2007-10

• Foundation of 2010 Rock offensive line that opened holes for Akeem Satterfield, the No. 1 scorer/No. 2 rusher in the PSAC and the No. 3 scorer/No. 5 rusher in the nation.