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USF football alumni to appear in second straight Super Bowl

Former USF wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (pictured) transferred to USF from NC State in 2015. He and center Austin Reiter, another former Bull, will play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GETTY IMAGES

USF football fans might recognize two familiar faces in Super Bowl 58.

Kansas City Chiefs center Austin Reiter and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling will play in the big game for the second consecutive year. Reiter, 32, will appear in his fourth Super Bowl, the most all-time by a Bulls alum. 

The Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 at 6:30 pm at Allegiate Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

Both players are former Bulls and were a part of last year’s Super Bowl 57 team that beat the Philadelphia Eagles. 

They helped the Chiefs defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game last Sunday 17-10.

Valdes-Scantling, 29, caught two passes for 38 yards. His last catch was for 32 yards and iced the game with roughly two minutes left in the fourth quarter. 

Related: Tampa Bay bred, Kansas City bound 

During his collegiate career, Valdes-Scantling played for the Bulls from 2015-17. He totaled 75 receptions for 1,294 yards and 11 touchdowns. He set a then-program record for receiving yards in a single season with 879 in 2017. This mark was surpassed by graduate receiver Sean Atkins in 2023.

In the 2017 Birmingham Bowl, Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 133 yards – including a 64-yard scoring catch – to help USF beat Texas Tech 38-34.

It was the Bulls’ last bowl game victory until their 45-0 blowout win over Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl. 

The Green Bay Packers drafted the wide receiver in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He is the latest Bull to be drafted into the NFL.

Valdes-Scantling played with the Packers for four seasons and signed a three-year, $30 million contract to join the Chiefs in 2022.

In six seasons, Valdes-Scantling has played in 92 games. He’s caught 186 passes for 3,155 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

Related: Former Bulls make USF history in Super Bowl LVII 

Reiter played 46 collegiate games and started 36 straight from 2011-2014 for USF. He was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List in 2013 and 2014, which honors the top center in college football. He was named to the American Athletic Conference third team in 2014. 

The center was drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the then-Washington Redskins. He had brief stints with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.

He won a title during his first stint with the Chiefs in 2020.