Tag: East-West Shrine Bowl

Florida EDGE honored by East-West Shrine Bowl following Week 6 win

Florida’s front seven is led by edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who was named a Breakout Player of the Week following the Vanderbilt win.

he East-West Shrine Bowl named Florida edge rusher [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] a breakout play of the week following the Gators’ win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Umanmielen is one of three defensive players and eight players overall to earn the weekly honor. Texas Tech edge rusher Steve Linton and Louisville cornerback Quincy Riley are the other defenders. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is the only other SEC player on the list.

While this may be a weekly honor, Umanmielen has been one of the best edge rushers in the country this season. Pro Football Focus gives him an 81.5 overall rating on defense, and his 90.3 pass-rushing rating is good for third-best among Power Five edge rushers who have played at least 100 snaps.

Umanmielen has 25 total quarterback pressures, including 15 hurries, eight hits, and two sacks. Four of those hurries came against Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Florida’s defensive line might be the most-improved unit of the year, and much of that is thanks to Umanmielen leading by example. He’ll look to continue his career season as he moves closer to the 2024 draft.

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East-West Shrine Bowl moving to The Star in Frisco, Texas

The East-West Shrine Bowl will be played at a new location starting in 2024.

The East-West Shrine Bowl, a college football postseason all-star game will have a new home starting this upcoming year.

After spending the last two years at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, the East-West Shrine Bowl will be moving to The Star in Frisco, Texas. The headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, The Star includes The Ford Center in which the game will be played.

The move was first reported by Brett McMurphy of Stadium.

The Ford Center is an indoor stadium that holds 12,000 spectators. It is shared by the Dallas Cowboys, the city of Frisco, and Frisco ISD. It has held numerous notable events including Major League Lacrosse’s championship game in 2017, Conference USA’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, boxing matches, and the AAF championship game in 2019.

The East-West Shrine Bowl has been played annually since 1925. It has played games in San Francisco, New Orleans, Stanford, Oakland, San Antonio, Houston, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Las Vegas, and now starting in 2024, Frisco.

Since the game’s inception in 1925, the game has been sponsored by Shriners Internationals. Proceeds from the shrine bowl are donated to numerous charities including Shriners Hospitals for Children.

This year’s version of the Shrine Bowl was won by the West with a final score of 12-3. Former Michigan kicker Jake Moody and Florida safety Trey Dean III were selected as the offensive and defensive MVPs.

Chiefs to host Stephen F. Austin EDGE BJ Thompson on top-30 visit

The #Chiefs are bringing in a standout edge rusher from the East-West Shrine Bowl for a top-30 visit.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to bring players in for top-30 visits, this time hosting a standout from the East-West Shrine Bowl.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs are one of two teams (along with the Detroit Lions) hosting Stephen F. Austin EDGE BJ Thompson on a top-30 visit. If you’re not familiar with top-30 visits, NFL teams receive an allotment of 30 visits with which they can host draft prospects. It’s an opportunity to bring players to team facilities to get to know them better in a more personal experience. This is now the third reported top-30 visit for Kansas City, alongside Pittsburgh DL Deslin Alexandre and Western Kentucky DT Brodric Martin.

Wilson also reports that Thompson, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds with 34-inch arms, is expected to perform extremely well at his pro day on March 21. He suggests that the edge rusher boasts 4.4 speed, a 40-inch vertical, and a 135-inch broad jump. Those would rival the athletic testing of Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith, who posted the top numbers at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Thompson originally began his career in Waco, Texas at Baylor and transferred to play for the Lumberjacks after two seasons with the Bears. He started 27 games with Stephen F. Austin from 2020-2022, recording 69 total tackles with 18.5 sacks.

Watching his tape, Thompson is much more of a threat to win with speed off the edge than he is with power. His first step is explosive, which was showcased in the East-West Shrine Bowl when he recorded four total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. Could Thompson end up being this year’s James Houston for the edge rusher group in the 2023 NFL draft?

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Broncos met with LB Mohamoud Diabate at the Shrine Bowl

The Broncos met with Utah linebacker Mohamoud Diabate at the Shrine Bowl last month.

The Denver Broncos met with Utah linebacker Mohamoud Diabate at the East-West Shrine Bowl last month, according to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo.

Diabate (6-4, 222 pounds) was a “mac” inside linebacker for the Utes, but he is a versatile defender who can play as an outside linebacker as well.

After spending three years at Florida, he transferred to Utah for his senior season and totaled 58 tackles — 13.5 behind the line of scrimmage — five sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery in 12 games last fall.

Mock drafts have varying opinions on Diabate’s draft stock. His average ranking is 274th overall, according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com. That would put Diabate in the range of a late-round pick or undrafted free agent target.

The Broncos have a great history of finding UDFA gems. Perhaps Diabate could be a potential candidate to join the team’s list of success stories in 2023. Denver has five picks to use in April’s draft, but no selections in the seventh round.

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ESPN projects two Gators going in first-round of 2023 NFL draft

ESPN expects these two former Gators to hear their name called in the first round this April.

In the post-Senior/Shrine Bowl update of ESPN’s 2023 two-round mock draft, two Gators are expected to be first-round selections: quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag].

Richardson has been mocked as high as a top-10 pick since officially declaring for it, but he did not participate in any postseason bowl games. His stock will only go up after the combine, and a strong pro day might help out as well. For now, though, AR is still firmly in the mix at No. 16 overall to the Washington Commanders in Matt Miller’s mock draft.

“He is not a finished product after starting just 13 games in college, but his highs are incredibly high and he has the highest ceiling of this quarterback class — if he can put everything together,” Miller wrote. “Richardson, who is 6-4 and 232 pounds, has the strongest arm of the class, too, and he pairs that with game-changing running ability. The downside? Nine interceptions to just 17 touchdown passes in 2022 and a QBR of 71.2 show that Richardson’s accuracy needs work before he’s a complete passer. He completed just 54.7% of his throws over his career.”

The Commanders are a decent fit for Richardson, but it would likely mean that Castson Wentz would enter the year as the presumed starter with some competition from Sam Howell. That’s not exactly the wait-and-see situation that Richardson needs to find success in the NFL, but it could end up working.

The other Gator expected to go in the first round, guard O’Cyrus Torrence, did participate in the Senior Bowl, and his performance helped lock him in as a first-round talent.

“One of the top performers during Senior Bowl week was Torrence, my top-ranked player in Mobile,” Miller wrote. “The 6-5, 337-pound right guard was dominant in one-on-one drills throughout the week, showing an aggressive ability in the run game. But what was most impressive during the week was his ability in pass protection, where his length showed up as pass-rushers were unable to consistently get around him.”

Miller has Torrence going at No. 26 overall to the Dallas Cowboys and sees a world where he makes an immediate impact by freeing up veteran players on the line. Wherever Torrence lands, he has a chance to start there as a rookie. The only thing holding him back is the relatively low-priority guards are getting in this draft cycle.

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PODCAST: The Cardinals’ coaching finalists; Shrine Bowl standout prospects

We have a new edition of the show, talking coaching candidates and draft prospects from the East-West Shrine Bowl.

We have a new podcast episode for the second day in a row. This time, Seth Cox joins me as we go over two major topics — the Arizona Cardinals coaching search and the NFL draft.

We talk about the Cardinals having narrowed their search to three candidates, although since the show was recorded, that number is down to two.

After that, Seth gives us his standout players from last week’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

Give it a listen. It’s a good one! Enjoy the show.

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Here are the topics and timestamps from the show:

(1:00) The Cardinals’ three coaching finalists

(16:29) The standout prospects on offense from the Shrine Bowl

(33:52) Standout defensive players from the Shrine Bowl

Former Gators safety earns East-West Shrine Bowl defensive MVP award

Trey Dean III made the most out of his Shrine Bowl appearance.

The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl is officially in the books after the 98th edition of the all–star college football exhibition played out on Thursday, Feb. 2, inside Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The game was a low-scoring affair, with the West team outlasting the East, 12-3, as the two squads could only put the ball through the uprights during the course of the game — including a pair of 51-yarders by the West.

One of the biggest standouts from the game was former Florida Gators safety [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], who snagged an interception and returned it from 16 yards along with four broken-up passes in an effort that earned him the Defensive Most Valuable Player for the game. He was also called for a delay of game penalty as well as a holding call, but that was not enough to ruin what was otherwise a stand-out performance for the West.

Prior to the game, Dean measured in at 6-foot-2.5-inches high, while weighing 211 pounds with an arm length of 32.25 inches, hand size of 9.5 inches and a wingspan of 76.75 inches, according to Pro Football Focus.

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4 standouts for Chiefs from East-West Shrine Bowl

Our @Nicolas_Roesch names four standouts for the #Chiefs from the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Although Super Bowl LVII is currently at the forefront for the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s also time to start looking toward the future. The East-West Shrine Bowl was played on Thursday night and featured plenty of talent across the board.

Let’s take a look at some of the top performers from the game, who could be on the Chiefs’ radar come April:

2023 East-West Shrine Bowl: Rosters for each team

2023 East-West Shrine Bowl: Team rosters for Thursday’s all-star game in Las Vegas

The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl kicks off Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams is set to lead the East team in the 98th edition of the annual college football all-star exhibition.

The game airs live on NFL Network and will feature some of the country’s top prospects, including Boston College WR Zay Flowers and Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell.

Check out the full rosters for the East and West teams below.

How to watch and stream the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

Tonight’s East-West Shrine Bowl will be televised on NFL Network.

The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl will be played at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders and this year’s Pro Bowl, on Thursday evening.

The East will face off against the West at 6:30 p.m. MT in a nationally-televised game on NFL Network. The college football all-star game will also be available to stream on fuboTV (try it free).

Last year, the Denver Broncos drafted three players who played in the East-West Shrine Bowl — two on defense and one on offense. The Broncos — and the league’s 31 other teams — are back in Las Vegas this year to scout prospects who are entering this year’s NFL draft.

East-West Shrine Bowl Rosters

Here is the offensive roster for the East team.

NUMBER POSITION NAME SCHOOL
3 QB Tanner Morgan Minnesota
16 QB Aidan O’Connell Purdue
17 QB Tim DeMorat Fordham
27 RB Jordan Mims Fresno State
28 RB Deneric Prince Tulsa
29 RB Tavion Thomas Utah
44 FB Derek Parish Houston
9 WR Jadon Haselwood Arkansas
10 WR Kearis Jackson Georgia
11 WR Nikko Remigio Fresno State
12 WR Jalen Cropper Fresno State
15 WR Jacob Copeland Maryland
83 WR Antoine Green North Carolina
81 WR Shaquan Davis South Carolina State
88 WR A.T. Perry Wake Forest
85 TE Blake Whiteheart Wake Forest
86 TE Leonard Taylor Cincinnati
89 TE Daniel Barker Michigan State
84 TE Joel Wilson Central Michigan
54 OL Spencer Anderson Maryland
60 OL Juice Scruggs Penn State
63 OL Alex Palczewski Illinois
64 OL Chandler Zavala NC State
65 OL Luke Haggard Indiana
68 OL Earl Bostick Jr. Kansas
70 OL John Ojukwu Boise State
71 OL Jordan McFadden Clemson
72 OL Quinton Barrow Grand Valley
73 OL Trevor Reid Louisville
74 OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu Oregon
75 OL Malaesala Carvin Tennessee
77 OL Carter Warren Pittsburgh
– OLD BJ Wilson Quincy
– OG Jon Gaines UCLA
– WR Joseph Ngata Clemson

And here is the defense/special teams roster for the East squad.

NUMBER POSITION LAST NAME SCHOOL
42 IDL Viliami Fehoko San Jose State
55 IDL Dante Stills West Virginia
91 IDL Ikenna Enechukwu Rice
92 IDL Ochaun Mathis Nebraska
95 IDL Brodric Martin Western Kentucky
97 IDL Kobie Turner Wake Forest
98 IDL Moro Ojomo Texas
99 IDL Keondre Coburn Texas
51 EDGE Yasir Abdullah Louisville
90 EDGE Caleb Murphy Ferris State
93 EDGE Robert Beal Jr. Georgia
94 EDGE Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan
96 EDGE BJ Thompson Stephen F. Austin
33 LB Jeremy Banks Tennessee
34 LB Kyle Soelle Arizona State
43 LB Ben VanSumeren Michigan State
50 LB Anfernee Orji Vanderbilt
52 LB Amari Burney Florida
1 CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson TCU
5 CB D’Shawn Jamison Texas
7 CB Lance Boykin Coastal Carolina
13 CB Kei’Trel Clark Louisville
22 CB Mekhi Garner LSU
25 CB Nehemiah Shelton San Jose State
26 CB Kahlef Hailassie Western Kentucky
2 SAF Gervarrius Owens Houston
4 SAF Bennett Williams Oregon
21 SAF A.J. Finley Ole Miss
30 SAF Tyreque Jones Boise State
23 SAF Art Green Houston
14 K Andre Szmyt Syracuse
8 P Ethan Evans Wingate
53 LS Matt Hembrough Oklahoma State

And the offensive roster for the West team.

NUMBER POSITION LAST NAME SCHOOL
2 QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson UCLA
3 QB Tommy DeVito Illinois
7 QB Chase Brice Appalachian State
19 RB Kazmeir Allen UCLA
24 RB Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota
25 RB Xazavian Valladay Arizona State
26 RB Travis Dye USC
44 FB/TE Jack Colletto Oregon State
4 WR Zay Flowers Boston College
11 WR Demario Douglas Liberty
12 WR Dallas Daniels Jackson State
80 WR Jake Bobo UCLA
81 WR Jadakis Bonds Hampton
84 WR Justin Shorter Florida
85 WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton West Virginia
88 WR Michael Jefferson Louisiana
82 TE Princeton Fant Tennessee
83 TE Travis Vokolek Nebraska
86 TE Luke Schoonmaker Michigan
89 TE Thomas Greaney Albany
51 OL Jaxson Kirkland Washington
55 OL Ricky Stromberg Arkansas
56 OL Atonio Mafi UCLA
62 OL Jacky Chen Pace
65 OL Colby Sorsdal William & Mary
66 OL Henry Bainivalu Washington
68 OL Dalton Wagner Arkansas
70 OL Brent Laing Minnesota Duluth
72 OL Theo Benedet British Columbia
75 OL Mason Brooks Ole Miss
76 OL Connor Galvin Baylor
77 OL Kadeem Telfort UAB
78 OL Mark Evans II Arkansas Pine-Bluff

And finally, the defense/special teams roster for the West squad.

# POSITION LAST NAME SCHOOL
90 IDL Jerron Cage Ohio State
91 IDL Desjuan Johnson Toledo
93 IDL Devonnsha Maxwell Chattanooga
97 IDL PJ Mustipher Penn State
96 IDL Taron Vincent Ohio State
1 EDGE Brenton Cox Jr. Florida
94 EDGE Titus Leo Wagner College
95 EDGE Andre Jones Louisiana
98 EDGE Habakkuk Baldonado Pittsburgh
99 EDGE Truman Jones Harvard
9 LB Jaiden Woodbey Boston College
32 LB Drake Thomas NC State
41 LB Isaiah Moore NC State
42 LB Shaka Heyward Duke
43 LB Mohamoud Diabate Utah
45 LB Charlie Thomas Georgia Tech
50 LB Jalen Graham Purdue
92 LB Tyrus Wheat Mississippi State
6 CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse LSU
20 CB Starling Thomas V UAB
21 CB Nic Jones Ball State
22 CB Eric Scott Jr. Southern Miss
23 CB Cameron Brown Ohio State
27 CB Jaylin Williams Indiana
33 CB Myles Brooks Louisiana Tech
34 CB Terell Smith Minnesota
0 SAF Trey Dean III Florida
28 SAF Jordan Howden Minnesota
30 SAF Christian Izien Rutgers
35 SAF Christian Young Arizona
13 K Jake Moody Michigan
17 P Michael Turk Oklahoma
53 LS Chris Stoll Penn State

Last year, the West defeated the East 25-24 in Las Vegas.

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