Lincoln – Nebraska placed a nation-leading nine players on the first-ever Senior Bowl watch list released Saturday afternoon.

The Huskers on the Senior Bowl watch list include Rex Burkhead, Will Compton, Ben Cotton, Sean Fisher, Brett Maher, Cameron Meredith, Kyler Reed, Daimon Stafford and Baker Steinkuhler. Nebraska joins Alabama and Georgia as the only schools with nine selections.

“The Senior Bowl is very pleased to announce our first-ever ‘official’ Watch List,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. “We want both college and pro football fans to enjoy tracking the players on our list as they begin their journey towards the Senior Bowl and the 2013 NFL Draft. We have included prospects from almost every level of the college game and look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the upcoming season.”

The watch list features 309 rising seniors for the 2012 football season from 114 different schools. The 2013 Senior Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 26, in Mobile, Ala.,

— Seamus McKnight, Nebraska Sports Information