Five NKY football players sign to play Division I

COVINGTON, Ky. — December 20-22 is the early signing day period for Division I in NCAA football and five student-athletes from Northern Kentucky took advantage of it.

Covington Catholic’s Willie Rodriguez, Highlands’ Brody Benke, Simon Kenton’s Aba Selm and Dixie Heights’ Brach Rice and Kabanza Mwamba all inked to continue their football and academic careers.

Rodriguez and Selm are headed to the University of Kentucky, Benke is headed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to play for Middle Tennessee State University, Rice to Miami (Ohio) University and Mwamba to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Rodriguez was a two-way player for the Colonels at tight end and outside linebacker. He corralled 29 passes for 488 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior season to go with 48 tackles and three sacks defensively. He was a vital piece for the 14-1 Colonels, who finished as state runner-up in Class 4A. Coming down to the last minute with strong pushes from Tennessee and Auburn in recruiting, Rodriguez stayed firm to his commitment that he made with the Wildcats over the summer. Over the course of his career with the Colonels, he caught 43 passes for 783 yards and 17 touchdowns. He tallied 70 tackles and seven sacks defensively.

Benke did it all for the Bluebirds offense in 2023. He played quarterback, was the second leading rusher and gave the Blue Raider coaching staff glimpses of what his college position is going to be at tight end. Benke accounted for 3,333 total yards and 55 touchdowns in his senior campaign for the 12-2 Bluebirds, making the state semifinals in Class 5A. He threw for 1,849 yards and 26 touchdowns, ran for 1,176 yards and 23 touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 208 yards and six touchdowns. He also served as the team’s long snapper. Benke threw for 4,316 yards, ran for 1,430 yards and had 274 yards receiving in his Highlands career. He threw 55 touchdowns, ran for 31 touchdowns and caught nine touchdowns.

Selm was a menace along both offensive and defensive lines in his time in Independence. He made his commitment in early 2023 and shut his recruitment down after that. Selm helped pave the way for the Pioneers rushing attack that amassed 2,188 yards in 10 games. Defensively, Selm had 59 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. He played in 38 games in his Pioneers career, collecting 107 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three fumbles forced and two fumble recoveries. The Pioneers rushed for 5,467 yards the last two seasons with Selm helping anchor the line.

Rice was the leading tackler in the state in his senior campaign all the way until the final week of the postseason, despite playing three less games than Owensboro Catholic’s Vince Carrico, who ended with 197 tackles to Rice’s 181. Rice committed to Miami over the summer and held firm from that point, wanting to get his college decision out of the way before his senior season. He was the backbone for the Colonels defense, constantly involved as he also racked up 32.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He also recovered two fumbles and filled in offensively when the team needed him to with 270 rushing yards and five touchdowns and caught seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Rice played in 45 games in his Colonels career and collected 336 tackles, 48.5 tackles for loss and 22 sacks. He threw for 375 yards, ran for 954 yards and tallied 458 receiving yards. He accounted for 23 total touchdowns.

Mwamba was a shutdown corner for the Colonels, picking off four passes and recovering a fumble in his senior season to go with 48 tackles. He added 12 receptions for 239 yards and three touchdowns on offense. He played in 35 games from his sophomore year on. Mwamba finished his Colonels career with 84 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and caught 13 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns.

The regular signing period for Division I and II is Feb. 7 to April 1.

This story originally appeared on LINK NKY.

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