ABILENE -- Two of the most electrifying offensive performers in ACU football history and one of the men working for them in the trenches of the offensive line had their NFL dreams come true Saturday night shortly after the end of the league's annual draft.
(third with 4,432 yards), Gabriel (fourth with 3,880 yards) and West (fifth with 3,823 yards).
Gabriel finished his career second in ACU history in catches (215), yards (3,027) and touchdown receptions (27). He is second in catches and yards behind Jerale Badon (235 for 3,311 yards) and is tied with Clyde Gates and Arthur Culpepper with 27 touchdown receptions, three behind all-time leader Johnny Knox (30 from 2007-08).
His 15 catches in the loss at New Mexico state set a new single-game ACU record, breaking the old mark of 14 set by Badon against Tarleton State in 2006. His 188 yards receiving in that game set a new career-best and is the 16th-best single-game performance in ACU history.
Gabriel's 73 catches in 2013 are tied for with Badon (2007) for the second-most in a season in ACU history, and his 1,060 yards are the seventh-best single-season total in ACU history. His 10 touchdown receptions in 2013 tie his own mark in 2011, as well as that of Reggie McGowan (1986), Angel Alvarez (1993) and Cle Montgomery (1977) for the ninth-most in a season in program history.
His 31 career touchdowns are tied with Knox for the sixth-most in program history, and his 186 career points are tied with Knox for the ninth-most in program history.
West finished his quietly productive career as the only player in ACU football history to finish with at least 2,000 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards and 750 kickoff return yards in a career.
West finished with 2,058 rushing yards (10th on ACU's career list), 1,007 receiving yards and 758 kickoff return yards (none in 2013). West finished his career with 35 touchdowns(fourth on the all-time touchdown list) and 210 career points scored. He is sixth on ACU's career points list.
He finished his career with seven 100-yard rushing games, including four in 2013.
With Gabriel, West and Latu now on NFL rosters, the Wildcats have six active players in the league with those two joining Danieal Manning (Cincinnati), Daryl Richardson (St. Louis) and Clyde Gates (New York Jets). Scott is an unrestricted free agent after spending the last half of the 2013 season with Baltimore.
The Wildcats also have several players in the Canadian Football League: quarterback Mitchell Gale, offensive lineman Tony Washington, defensive end Aston Whiteside and linebacker Major Culbert with Toronto, and wide receiver Raymond Radway with Calgary. Cantu-Harkless had a workout with Calgary in March and the CFL could be an option for him as well.
Also, former ACU receiver Jamaine Sherman, who played for the Wildcats in 2011, was signed to a free agent deal by the Rams. Sherman, who caught 13 passes in 2011 for ACU, played for the Alderson Broaddus club team in 2012 before playing senior season at East Texas Baptist in 2013 where he caught 62 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
