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Kenny Clark among top prospects playing in Saturday bowls

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Bowl season features a heavy Saturday of action, including Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer's final game as coach of the Hokies. College Football 24/7 examines the top NFL draft prospects in action on Saturday. Not all of these prospects are certain to be available in the 2016 NFL Draft, but each is either a senior or old enough to apply for early draft eligibility:



Sun Bowl

*Miami vs. Washington State (2 p.m. ET, CBS) *

Deon Bush, Miami:The senior safety is the Hurricanes' top pro prospect for the 2016 draft. He made 47 tackles and broke up four passes this season. He wasn't quite as active as he was during his junior year, when he forced five fumbles. He missed one start vs. Cincinnati due to a targeting call in the previous game, but otherwise was a regular in the lineup for the Hurricanes.

Gabe Marks, Washington State: Marks needs only one catch to reach 100 for the season as the primary target in Mike Leach's pass-happy offense in Pullman. The fourth-year junior receiver will test Bush in the open field.

Heart of Dallas Bowl

*Washington vs. Southern Miss (2:20 p.m. ET, ESPN) *

Travis Feeney, Washington:An undersized pass rusher, Feeney leads the Huskies in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (7.5). But at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, NFL scouts could have a hard time finding a position fit for the senior team captain at the pro level.

Pinstripe Bowl

*Indiana vs. Duke (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) *

Jason Spriggs, Indiana:Spriggs is an athletic left tackle prospect with 46 career starts and, according to the Indianapolis Star, he allowed just two sacks as a senior. Spriggs will compete at the Reese's Senior Bowl next month.

Nate Sudfeld, Indiana: The three year-starter at quarterback had the best season of his career as a senior, throwing for career highs of 3,184 yards and 24 touchdown, with only five interceptions.

Check out the best images from the 2015-16 college football bowl season.

Independence Bowl

*Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech (5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN) *

Dadi Nicolas, Virginia Tech:The Hokies' pass rusher is undersized at 6-3, 223 pounds, but has lots of speed both going upfield as a rusher and laterally in pursuit. He's had a disappointing senior year in terms of production, however, with only one sack and 5.5 tackles for loss.* *

Luther Maddy, Virginia Tech: Maddy is an athletic defensive tackle who gets off blocks and shows range to make plays beyond his gap. He was highly active this year with 54 stops, including 6.5 for loss.

Keyarris Garrett, Tulsa: Garrett has been incredibly productive for the Golden Hurricane, catching 88 passes for 1,451 yards and seven touchdowns. The senior is a serious size mismatch for almost any cornerback at 6-4, 221 pounds.

Foster Farms Bowl

*UCLA vs. Nebraska (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) *

Kenny Clark, UCLA: One of the top defensive tackles in the country, Clark has made 64 stops this year with nine tackles for loss, big numbers for an interior player. Clark recently said he received a second-round draft grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, but hasn't yet announced if he will apply for 2016 draft eligibility.

Maliek Collins, Nebraska:The Cornhuskers' top pro prospect, a defensive tackle, hasn't yet announced whether he will apply for early draft eligibility. While not as productive as the aforementioned Clark, Collins is a team captain and has a chance to look all the better with UCLA guard Alex Redmond out of the lineup after leaving the team and signing with an agent.

Paul Perkins, UCLA: The Bruins' star rusher piled up 1,275 yards this season with a 5.7 per-carry average, and takes plenty of pressure off of freshman quarterback Josh Rosen. A fourth-year junior, Perkins has yet to announce whether he will apply for 2016 draft eligibility.

Jordan Payton, UCLA: The senior receiver is Rosen's favorite target and should crack the 1,000-yard barrier in this game; he needs just 46 more yards.

*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.

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