Tag: East-West Shrine Bowl

Pair of LSU players to participate in Thursday night’s East-West Shrine Bowl

Mekhi Garner and Jarrick Bernard-Converse will represent LSU in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

[autotag]Jerrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] were teammates during the 2022 season at LSU, but instead of lining up opposite each other in the secondary on Thursday night, they’ll be lined up on opposing teams.

Both cornerbacks have been selected to represent LSU in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The college all-star game will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT on the NFL Network. Bernard-Converse will wear No. 6, while Garner will wear No. 22.

Both players came to LSU this season via the transfer portal and made a massive impact. Bernard-Converse was a stud at Oklahoma State, which carried over to Baton Rouge. He had two interceptions and 44 tackles while making nine starts in 13 appearances.

Meanwhile, Garner transferred in from Louisiana and took a massive step forward this season, solidifying himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC. He started all 13 games, leading the team with eight pass breakups while adding 43 tackles.

Both players should hear their name’s called in April’s NFL draft, and strong performances on Thursday night could go a long way toward boosting their draft stocks.

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10 players Broncos should scout at 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

Here are 10 players Broncos fans should watch for at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

After the NFL season concludes with Super Bowl LVII. all eyes turn toward free agency and the NFL draft. Until the NFL combine, the last best chances teams have to evaluate collegiate talent in a competitive setting is the invitation-only East-West Shrine Bowl and the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

While new Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton begins building his coaching staff, general manager George Paton will be evaluating top-tier talent this week. Here’s a look at 10 players the team should be keeping an eye on at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.

Broncos found talent at last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl

The Broncos drafted three players who appeared in last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is not college football’s biggest all-star game, but talent can be found in Las Vegas. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers, who selected quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft after he helped the West defeat the East 25-24 in last year’s Shrine Bowl.

The Denver Broncos also came away from last year’s draft with three players who played in the Shrine Bowl — two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman.

The Broncos used a fourth-round pick to select Iowa State DL Eyioma Uwazurike (East), a fifth-round pick to select Washington OL Luke Wattenberg (West) and a seventh-round pick to select Wisconsin DL Matt Henningsen (East) last April.

The 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19, but Denver added five players from the 2020 edition: DL McTelvin Agim, OLB Derrek Tuszka, RB LeVante Bellamy, CB Parnell Motley and OL Darrin Paulo.

The Broncos will now look to find more talent at this year’s all-star game. The East-West Shrine Bowl will be nationally televised at 6:30 p.m. MT on NFL Network on Thursday evening.

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Mitchell Tinsley turns strong NFLPA Bowl week into Shrine Bowl invite

Penn State receiver Mitchell Tinsley heading to Shrine Bowl

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] went to the transfer portal this past spring and looked for a wide receiver to add depth to the young talent on the roster. He found [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], who had a great season, proved to be a reliable target, and helped secure a Rose Bowl win for the Nittany Lions to top it all off.

After a great season in the blue and white, Tinsley is headed to the NFL, but first, he had to head back to Pasadena for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

CBS reporter Emory Hunt gave reports of who stood out during the week’s practice and Tinsley made the cut. He stated “Tinsley had himself a stellar week. We always use the phrase ‘plays bigger than his size’…that aptly described Tinsley’s week.”

He went on to add that “It was surprising to see his measurements juxtaposed to how he performed. You would’ve thought he was 6-5, 225 with how big he played.”  He also mentioned that for someone who plays so big that his athleticism was even more impressive when you look at his game as a whole.

After that standout performance Tinsley turned that into a Shrine Game invite. The East-West Shrine game is played in Las Vegas and is right behind the Senior Bowl for being the top senior all-star game. If he can show out at another all-star game in front of NFL teams, he may see his draft stock skyrocket as a result.

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14 Prospects for Packers fans to watch during East-West Shrine Bowl week

Prospects for Packers fans to watch during East-West Shrine Game Week.

The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl game will take place in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 2, with practices set to begin on Saturday.

In 2018, Brian Gutekunst drafted two players (James Looney and Hunter Bradley) that competed in the Shrine Bowl. The following year, Gutekunst selected Ka’Dar Hollman on day three of the draft after he competed at the Shrine Bowl. In 2020, Jon Runyan Jr was a day three pick. Due to COVID-19 concerns, there was no game in 2021. Last season, Samori Toure competed at the Shrine Bowl and was a seventh-round pick for the Packers.

It’s a safe bet that a member of Green Bay’s 2023 draft class will be a prospect that’s about to take center stage this week.

Let’s take a look at 20 prospects that Green Bay fans should be keeping tabs on throughout the week.

East Roster

A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest

Over the past two seasons, Perry has recorded 152 receptions for 2,389 yards and 26 touchdowns. At 6-5, with long arms, Perry passes the eye test. The Wake Forest wide receiver has a go-go-gadget catch radius. 

Dante Stills, DL, West Virginia

Stills finished this past season with nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Stills led West Virginia with 30 pressures. For his career, Stills recorded 53 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks. Stills has a quick first step and the lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage.

John Ojukwu, OL, Boise State

Ojukwu finished his career at Boise State with 51 career starts, with 18 coming at right tackle and 33 starts at left tackle. Ojukwu is an eager run blocker and has quick feet in pass protection. According to PFF, he gave up zero sacks this past season. 

Trevor Reid, OT, Louisville

Reid was a two-year starter at left tackle for the Cardinals. He’s an athletic offensive tackle with an NFL frame. He has good foot quickness to mirror edge rushers. The JUCO transfer was No. 22 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list.

Moro Ojomo, DL, Texas

Ojomo finished this past season with 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. According to PFF, he recorded 26 pressures for the Longhorns this past season. Ojomo is a twitchy interior pass rusher with quick feet. 

Earl Bostick Jr, OT, Kansas

The former tight end finished his career as a three-year starter for the Jayhawks with 25 starts at left tackle the past two seasons. The converted tight end has good length and the athleticism to quickly climb to the second level. 

Viliami Fehoko, Edge, San Jose State

The Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year finished the season with 69 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and nine sacks. According to PFF, Fehoko recorded 66 pressures. The San Jose State edge rusher has strong, powerful hands and a motor that never quits.

West Roster

Trey Dean III, DB, Florida

Dean is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the 2023 NFL Draft. He started his career at cornerback before moving to safety for the Gators. Dean finished his career with 259 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, four interceptions, and 24 pass deflections. Dean has a good combination of length and quickness for the position. He covers a lot of real estate in coverage and flies downhill against the run. 

Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan

Schoonmaker finished this past season with 35 receptions for 418 yards and three touchdowns. At 6-6, 250 pounds, Schoomaker is a good athlete that accelerates well off the line of scrimmage. He’s a good blocker that could carve out a role early during his rookie season.

Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia

The West Virginia wide receiver finished this past season with 62 receptions for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. Ford-Wheaton does a good job of climbing the ladder to attack the ball at its highest point. He has a shot to put up the highest vertical jump of any wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Habakkuk Baldonado, Edge, Pitt

Over the past two seasons, Baldonado has recorded 17 tackles for loss and 11 sacks for the Panthers. Boldando has a quick first step and converts speed to power. According to PFF, he finished this past season with 24 pressures. 

Christian Young, DB, Arizona

A do it all safety. Young played safety, on the boundary, in the slot, and linebacker during his time at Arizona. He’s a player capable of wearing a lot of hats. Young finished this past season with 76 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.

Taron Vincent, DL, Ohio State

Vincent finished this past season with 2.5 tackles for loss and a .5 sack. He has good initial quickness. Vincent is powerfully built and strikes with power. Vincent finished this past season with 15 pressures (PFF). 

Connor Galvin, OT, Baylor

Over the last three seasons, Galvin started 37 games at left tackle for the Bears. At 6-7, he has good length for the position. Galvin has quick feet and has a strong core to stay balanced through contact.

Falcons STC Marquice Williams to coach East Team at Shrine Bowl

#Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams will coach the East Team at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl

The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots were the two teams chosen to coach this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday, February 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The Falcons, who will be coaching the East Team, have selected special teams coordinator Marquice Williams to serve as head coach. Tight ends coach Justin Peelle will be the offensive coordinator and linebackers coach Frank Bush will serve as defensive coordinator.

Williams has quietly done an outstanding job with Atlanta’s special teams units over the past two seasons. From Avery Williams‘ development as a punt returner, to the consistent play of specialists Younghoe Koo and Bradley Pinion, Marquice Williams has undoubtedly earned this opportunity to lead the East Team.

The Falcons have yet to hire a defensive coordinator since Dean Pees announced his retirement. With Frank Reich being named the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks is looking for a job.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Atlanta was closely monitoring what happens with Wilks, and it could be a great potential fit for both parties.  Plus, it would allow Wilks a chance to get some revenge against his former team twice a year.

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Ji’Ayir Brown not listed on Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl rosters

Despite accepting invites previously, Ji’Ayir Brown is missing from the rosters for the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl.

Practices for the annual East-West Shrine Game will begin this weekend, and Penn State is set to be well represented at the college football all-star game. But one player who previously accepted an invitation is nowhere to be found on the game’s updated roster online.

Penn State safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] accepted an invite to play in the Shrine Bowl in December, but his name is noticeably absent from the game’s online rosters for the East and West teams.

Brown not being at the Shrine Bowl could mean he may be a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster, with the Senior Bowl scheduled for next week as well. Brown had previously accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl before he accepted the invite to play in the Shrine Bowl, but he is also missing from the Senior Bowl roster listed online.

Brown is coming off a stellar senior season with Penn State, capping off his career being named the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl in Penn State’s victory over Utah. Brown contemplated leaving for the NFL last year but decided to return for one more season to potentially improve his draft stock for the 2023 NFL draft.

Penn State will have three players in the Shrine Bowl. The Nittany Lions will be represented by defensive tackle [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag], and long snapper [autotag]Chris Stoll[/autotag].

The East-West Shrine Bowl will be played on Thursday, February 2 in Las Vegas. The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday, February 4 in Mobile, Alabama.

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USC CB Mekhi Blackmon to start in East-West Shrine Bowl, will get a long look from NFL scouts

Mekhi Blackmon prepares for a football showcase in front of NFL scouts and executives.

Mekhi Blackmon’s preparation for the NFL draft is well underway. In Blackmon’s four-year (2018-21) career at Colorado, he had 87 tackles, including three for losses (with two sacks), 13 deflections, a fumble recovery, and 2 interceptions while appearing in 25 games (with 19 starts).

In his one season with USC, Blackmon led the Trojans in pass breakups, tallying 11 on the season. He recorded 58 total tackles with two for loss. He also collected 3 INTs and a fumble recovery. He was ranked by PFF as a top-10 cornerback in Pac-12 play.

The 5’11, 180-pound cornerback has incredible coverage ability, being an notably reactive defender who can stay with very fast receivers. His style should be admired by most NFL coaches. He could be considered a high-value prospect in the 2023 class.

Blackmon could be a potential top-100 prospect with a good combine, pro day and practice at the Shrine Bowl. He is also a potential defensive MVP candidate for the game.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is one of a few well-established college all-star football games, played after the college football season. This year, the East West Shrine Bowl is part of the NFL’s Pro Bowl Week events in Las Vegas. The game will be shown on NFL Network.

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These 7 former Gators accepted invites to play in postseason all-star games

Here’s where these seven former Gators will be playing in their final collegiate games.

Florida football’s 2022 season has come and gone — including a Las Vegas Bowl blowout loss at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers — which leaves only the postseason all-star games remaining for Gators fans to follow. This year, the Orange and Blue will be represented by seven former players stretching across the Reese’s Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

These midwinter matchups represent the final opportunity for players to get in one last collegiate gridiron grind before embarking on their professional aspirations. While some have more to prove than others, simply the exposure to other coaches and trainers can be a difference maker for a young up-and-coming athlete.

Take a look below at the seven former Florida Gators who will be participating in one of the three aforementioned postseason all-star games.

Six Vols invited to East-West Shrine Bowl

Six Vols invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.

No. 6 Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) has concluded its 2022 regular-season.

Tennessee will play No. 7 Clemson (11-2, 8-0 ACC) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Kickoff between the Vols and Tigers is slated for 8 p.m. EST (ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Six Tennessee student-athletes have received invitations to play in the 98th East-West Shrine Bowl Feb. 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. EST and will be televised by NFL Network.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is college football’s oldest all-star game, dating back to 1925 and benefits Shriners Children’s.

The Vols’ invitees to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl are listed below.