April 28, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - After three former Knights were selected on day two of the 2008 NFL Draft on Sunday, two more of their teammates signed on with teams as priority free agents. Leger Douzable signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings, while Keith Shologan inked his name with the San Diego Chargers.
Douzable led the Knights with 7.5 sacks in 2007 - a total that ranked third in Conference USA. He finished his UCF career with 15 sacks and earned first team All-Conference USA honors as a senior.
Shologan started 47 career games on the defensive front for the Knights and appeared in a school-record 50 games over the course of his four-year career. He was named second team All-Conference USA honors by the league's head coaches following a season in which he posted 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Shologan is expected to be a top five pick in the Canadian Football League college draft on Wednesday, April 30. Shologan also excelled in the classroom while with the Knights, earning CoSida/ESPN The Magazine All-America honors this past season.
Both defensive linemen are going to teams that current UCF head coach George O'Leary spent time coaching with in the NFL. O'Leary was the Chargers' defensive line coach from 1992-93 and served as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach with the Vikings in 2002 before taking over as defensive coordinator in 2003.
Douzable will also join a familiar face with the Vikings as former UCF defensive graduate assistant Ryan Silverfield is beginning his first season on the Minnesota coaching staff.