Two Wheaton alumni completed their participation in the NFL
preseason camps and games last week and are preparing for the
regular season with their respective teams. Linebacker Andy
Studebaker was placed on the Kansas City Chiefs' 53-man roster to
start the season for the second consecutive year. Cornerback Pete
Ittersagen made the eight-man practice squad for the Tennessee
Titans after spending much of the preseason camp with the team.
Studebaker is entering his third season with the Chiefs after
being picked up by Kansas City off of the Philadelphia
Eagles’ practice squad in 2008. He made 10 total tackles in
the 2010 preseason, including six solo stops. He also recorded two
sacks in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ittersagen joins the Titans' practice squad after signing as an
undrafted free agent with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars last
April. He has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, New
Orleans Saints and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Ittersagen played
in two preseason games for the Titans in 2010, before suffering an
injury early in the second game. The former Thunder All-American
made four solo tackles in his preseason action with Tennesse.
Studebaker graduated from Wheaton in May of 2008 with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Health Science. In four seasons
with the Thunder, he tallied 111 total tackles, with 50-1/2 tackles
for lost yardage (-292 yards), including 30 quarterback sacks. As a
junior in 2006 he was selected as the College Conference of
Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Defensive Player of the Year and was
tabbed as a First Team All-American and the North Region Defensive
Player of the Year by D3Football.com. He also earned Second Team
All-American honors on the 2006 AP Little All-American team and was
a Football Gazette Division III All-American. In that junior
campaign he led the CCIW and Division III with 17-1/2 (-142 yards)
quarterback sacks and was also the league leader in tackles for
lost yardage with 25-1/2 (-161 yards). His 17-1/2 sacks tied the
school record for sacks in a single season, and were the most of
any player at any NCAA level in 2006.
A December 2008 graduate of Wheaton, Ittersagen is a three-time
All-American for the Thunder with 60 career passes defended, which
is fifth all-time in Division III history in the category and his
five career punt returns for a touchdown established a new school
record and his nine career touchdown returns (five punt, three
interception and one kick) also set a Wheaton College record. He is
the program’s all-time leader in punt return yardage with 65
punts returns for 1,075 yards (16.5 YPR). The four-time
All-Conference selection at cornerback recorded 252 career tackles,
with 189 solo stops.