Benedict College quarterback Aeneas Dennis has received an invite to Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp, according to an HBCU Sports Twitter account.
Dennis transferred from Shorter University to Benedict for the 2023 season. There, he had an impressive season, throwing for 3,098 yards and 23 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He rushed for another three scores and had a 72-yard rush against Albany (Ga.). His team went a perfect 11-0 in the regular season, earning a bye, before falling in the second round of the Division-II playoffs to Lenoir-Rhyne. Even in defeat, Dennis was strong, throwing for 376 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-25 loss.
He attended the HBCU Combine and HBCU Legacy Bowl where GM Omar Khan is one of the only NFL general managers to make the trip (the other is Saints GM Mickey Loomis, who hosts the Combine workout at their facility). Earlier this year, Khan explained why it’s important for him to show up, attributing to what he learned from legendary scout Bill Nunn.
“A lot of the things that I do and how I think it’s important to do things comes from [Nunn] and the things that I learned from him,” Khan told NFL Network. “I think it’s so important just to support the schools and the players that are down there. It’s an honor to be down there, and that’s something that I foresee always being involved in”.
Dennis then attended South Carolina’s Pro Day that Steelers area scout Zach Crockett and vice president of player personnel Dan Rooney Jr. attended. There, Dennis ran a solid 4.88 40 and presumably looked good throwing the ball, earning the invite to Steelers minicamp. It doesn’t come with a contract, just the chance to compete for three days, and making the roster will be tough. But then-unknown Duck Hodges emerged as a tryout candidate-turned-signing in 2019, eventually becoming the Steelers’ starter after Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending shoulder injury.
Aeneas Dennis will compete alongside undrafted free agent UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee in minicamp. So far, those are the only two who are eligible to attend. News of more tryout players figure to leak out over the next week. Pittsburgh always holds its rookie minicamp two weeks after the draft, putting this year’s version from May 10-12.
