USC’s Cody Kessler and Soma Vainuku are invited to the Senior Bowl

USC quarterback Cody Kessler performed in the spotlight for most of his Trojans career. Fullback Soma Vainuku played in relative obscurity, making his mark on special teams.

Both earned invitations to the Jan. 30 Senior Bowl, an annual evaluation milestone on the way to the NFL draft.

Kessler has passed for 28 touchdowns, with six interceptions, for a Trojans team that is preparing for the Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin.

Kessler said Tuesday that he was excited about the opportunity to test himself against other players at the Senior Bowl and to show “that I can throw with anyone.”

Stanford’s Kevin Hogan, Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett, Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz are other quarterbacks who have accepted Senior Bowl invitations.

“Go into that atmosphere with other top quarterbacks and be able to sling it around a little bit,” Kessler said, adding, “It’s a cool event, but at the same time, obviously, a very important step for the next level.”

Vainuku’s statistical resume is thin. He has only two carries and has not caught a pass this season.

But the 6-foot, 255-pound Vainuku has been a stalwart on special teams.

Two years ago, he was All-Pac-12 Conference as a special teams player. He was second team this season.

Vainuku described the Senior Bowl opportunity as “an honor” and “one of the most happy moments” of his USC career.

Coach Clay Helton said Vainuku’s Senior Bowl invitation validated the player’s willingness to put the team ahead of personal goals.

“You don’t always have to be the superstar name,” Helton said. “You can be the guy that does his job and still play this game for a long time.”

Well rested

Helton has said that he scheduled only eight practices before the Holiday Bowl because the Trojans had an extra week of workouts for the Pac-12 title game.

After playing through numerous injuries — including a bone fracture in his right hand that required surgery — receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was happy to have an extra week of rest before the Trojans opened practice Saturday.

Smith-Schuster is already looking forward to next season, when the Trojans will open against Alabama in Arlington, Texas.

He said that he and other receivers have done workouts with reserve quarterbacks Max Browne and Sam Darnold to “get the feel” as they prepare for 2016.

“I couldn’t wish for nothing better,” he said of the matchup against Alabama. “That’s a great team and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Quick hits

Cornerback Kevon Seymour did not practice after suffering an ankle injury on Monday…. Offensive tackle Chad Wheeler remained absent after an incident involving police Saturday. He was not arrested. Asked whether Wheeler could be ruled out for the Holiday Bowl, Helton said, “We’re still playing it out and just seeing where he’s at. Really, at this point in time, I can’t comment on the situation. We’re just wishing him the best.” … The Trojans will go through mock-game situations Wednesday and then break for three days.

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesklein