April 30, 2007
DAVIS, Calif. - Offensive tackle Elliot Vallejo has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals while record-setting wide receiver Tony Kays has agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals as both oustanding UC Davis football players look to the NFL for the next stage in their playing careers.
"It's awesome," said head coach Bob Biggs. "They both certainly deserve it. I think back to their careers here and the contributions they both made.
"I think they both have wonderful opportunities," he added.
Vallejo and Kays both enjoyed standout careers at UC Davis helping the Aggies maintain a consecutive seasons winning streak that stands at 37 years entering the 2007 season.
Vallejo, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle from Salinas, earned All-Great West Football Conference first-team honors this past season while also being selected as the winner of the program's Outstanding Lineman Award. He started all 11 games at right tackle, ending his career with 32 consecutive starts. Vallejo, who began his career at UCLA before transferring to UC Davis, was also an All-GWFC second-team pick as a junior.
Vallejo is currently finishing studies for his degree in material science and engineering.
Kays, a 6-1, 195-pound receiver from nearby Elk Grove, is UC Davis' all-time receptions leader after finishing his four-year career with 207 catches for 2,752 yards and 17 touchdowns. The two-time All-GWFC first-team pick earned a trio of All-America honors as a junior in 2005 after leading the NCAA Div. I-AA statistics with a school-record 93 receptions. He totalled 1,213 yards and three touchdowns during a season which was highlighted by a 212-yard performance against Cal Poly and a school-record 15 receptions against Portland State.
Kays followed that spectactular season with another as a senior, finishing with 66 catches for 879 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a two-time winner of the program's Jerry Norris Award as most valuable and inspirational player, only the third Aggie to do so.
Kays recently graduated with a degree in economics.
Vallejo and Kays were the only Aggies to agree to free-agent contracts as of Monday afternoon but Biggs was hopeful others would follow.
UC Davis is in its final week of spring drills, culminating with its Spring Game scrimmage on Saturday at new Aggie Stadium beginning at 9 a.m.
