Former UW Oshkosh wide receiver Sam Mentkowski will be heading to Miami for The Spring League Fall Showcase.

The Spring League is a developmental football league that is used as a scouting event for professional talent that will take place from Nov. 6 to 9.

Mentkowski, a 2017 graduate from UWO, attended the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars rookie mini-camp in May 2018 but was eventually cut.
Mentkowski said during his mini-camp experience in Jacksonville, he got in his own head.

“In Jacksonville, I think I put too much pressure on myself to try to be like the guys that got drafted or the guys that got signed already, and it kind of threw me off my game,” Mentkowski said.

The 6 feet one inch wideout impressed scouts at the Wisconsin Badger pro day last year, recording his 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds, the best time out of the athletes at the pro day.

Mentkowski caught 67 passes for a UWO-record 1,477 yards and 13 touchdowns during his senior season as a Titan. He also led the nation in receiving yardage during his senior campaign.

Mentkowski said this opportunity is just another way for him to prove doubters wrong.

“I’ve been training and still working and haven’t really had an opportunity in a long time to get in front of scouts and show people what I can do,” Mentkowski said. “I’m very excited to get this invite and get in front of scouts and see if I can make something happen out of it.”

If Mentkowski has a good showing at the Spring League Fall Showcase, he could get recognized by NFL scouts, be invited back for the Spring League season or work his way into another professional football league.