Penn State center Hunter Nourzad a prospect to watch in Shrine Bowl

Penn State center Hunter Nourzad is among the players who can boost his draft potential at this week’s Shrine Bowl.

This is a big week for many former Nittany Lions looking to head to the NFL. With the Senior Bowl and the Shrine Bowl both on taqp this week, one final chance to suit up and play in a game could assist a handful of Penn State’s draft prospects in building momentum heading to the draft process. At this week’s Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas, Penn State center Hunter Nourzad will hope to prove himself against a number of talented college football draft prospects in what will be his final game in a college uniform.

Nourzad started his college career at Cornell and was among the top offensive linemen in the Ivy League before entering the transfer portal following the 2021 college football season. After starting 20 consecutive games at right tackle for Cornell, Nourzad committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal in 2022 and established himself at the center position the past two seasons.

Nourzad battled some injuries during his two seasons at Penn State but managed to start 16 games for the Nittany Lions.

Nourzad will be playing for the East team in this year’s Shrine Bowl. He is one of two centers on the East roster along with North Dakota State’s Jalen Sundell. Nourzad and the East team will be coached by Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. The offensive line coaches for the East are Luke Stocker, an offensive assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans, and New York Jets offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson.

The Shrine Bowl could be just what Nourzad needs to boost his potential draft stock. Considered a possible late-round draft pick at best, a solid showing in front of NFL assistants in practices and in the game could help turn some heads for an NFL franchise in need of a center or another body on the offensive line. And at the very least, could help lead to an invite to the NFL combine.

The Shrine Bowl is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1 at 8 p,.m. ET. The game will air on NFL Network.

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