Tag: Shrine Bowl

Packers will get close look at East roster’s LB group during Shrine Bowl week

Packers assistant Sean Duggan will coach the East’s linebackers during Shrine Bowl week.

The East-West Shrine Bowl game is scheduled for January 30th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with practice slated to start on Saturday, January 25th.

Green Bay Packers defensive assistant coach Sean Duggan will coach the linebacker group for the East team.

With Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie set to hit the open market this offseason, it’s reasonable to expect Brian Gutekunst to add a linebacker or two in the 2025 NFL Draft as they look to add depth to that room behind Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker and Ty’Ron Hopper.

Chris Paul Jr, Ole Miss

The Arkansas transfer, Paul Jr covers a lot of real estate and has sideline-to-sideline range. He has a quick trigger and comes downhill like he was shot out of a cannon. He finished his lone season at Ole Miss with 88 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception and four pass deflections.

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Carson Bruener, Washington

The Washington linebacker is always where he needs to be. He gets appropriate depth in his drops and is instinctive in coverage. Bruener recorded four interceptions and eight pass deflections over the past two seasons. During his time at Washington, Bruener logged 611 snaps on special teams and recorded 19 tackles.

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Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky

The Georgia transfer finished his lone season at Kentucky with 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception. The Wildcat linebacker enjoys the physical side of the game and is an early down thumper. He’s built like an old school linebacker and delivers heavy hits.

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Francisco Mauigoa, Miami

Mauigoa looks comfortable in space and can carry tight ends down the seam. The Miami linebacker doesn’t take himself out of plays and finished this past season with 47 run stops (PFF). He finished his career with 515 snaps on special teams with 13 tackles.

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DeShawn Pace, UCF

Pace, the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr, is field fast and has agile feet. He has good change of direction skills to match up in coverage. The Cininnati transfer finished his lone season at the University of Central Florida with 61 tackles, four tackles for loss and two interceptions.

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6 Georgia Bulldogs accept Shrine Bowl invitations

The 2025 Shrine Bowl will feature six former Georgia Bulldogs hoping to raise their NFL draft stock

Six Georgia Bulldogs have accepted Shrine Bowl invitations. The Shrine Bowl is one of the top scrimmages among college football players hoping to be selected in the NFL draft.

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dominic Lovett, defensive tackle Warren Brinson, defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse, offensive lineman Xavier Truss, tight end Ben Yurosek, and linebacker Chaz Chambliss all accepted Shrine Bowl invitations. The six Dawgs are hoping to elevate their respective 2025 NFL draft stocks.

Five Bulldogs will suit up for the East roster with Chaz Chambliss being the only Dawg to play for the West roster.

The Shrine Bowl will have four practices, starting on Saturday, Jan. 25 ahead of the annual scrimmage.

The 100th East-West Shrine Bowl will be played on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas. The Shrine Bowl will televised on NFL Network. The game will be played in AT&T Stadium, which is the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Seven Georgia Bulldogs also accepted Senior Bowl invitations, so 13 total Dawgs are participating in the two most prestigious predraft scrimmages.

Shrine Bowl week presents big opportunity for these 3 WRs

It’s an important week for the 2025 NFL Draft stocks for East teammates Ja’Corey Brooks, Nick Nash and Kaden Prather

The Shrine Bowl practices fire up on Saturday in North Texas. The annual East-West game is one of the top events on the scouting calendar.

While it’s an important week for all the aspiring NFL talents on both rosters, the Shrine Bowl stands out as a golden opportunity for three wideouts on the East team. All three carry considerable intrigue but also enough questions about their games to make this a significant chance to make or break their draft stock.

Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville

Brooks transferred from Alabama, where he was originally a 5-star recruit, to Louisville and thrived after an up-and-down time in Tuscaloosa. Even as the complete focal point of defensive attention, the lanky speedster was largely uncoverable in the Cardinals offense. He displayed better physicality and attention to detail than Brooks had demonstrated at Alabama, too.

At the Shrine practices, Brooks will get to prove himself in 1-on-1 drills and show off his speed relative to the other wideouts. He should be among the fastest players in the game. If he’s toasting higher-level CBs in practices and reliably catching the ball from different QBs, expect to see a lot more pundits putting Brooks a lot higher on their big boards.

Nick Nash, San Jose State

Nash led all college wideouts in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in a magical 2024 season for the Spartans. Yet he’s not highly-touted as an NFL Draft prospect because he did it in the Mountain West and in a simplistic run-and-shoot offense that manufactured easy touches for him.

The Shrine Bowl is a chance for Nash to show he can transcend the lower level of competition and also the offense he played in. Getting an official measurement on Nash, who was (perhaps quite generously) listed at 6-foot-3, will be nice. Getting a gauge on his quickness off the line and ability to play in different spots in a more NFL-style offense will also be worth watching.

Kaden Prather, Maryland

The bigger half of Maryland’s thunder/lightning receiving duo with Tai Felton (who will be at the Senior Bowl) gets a chance to prove worthy of more draft buzz. Prather looks the part of a heavy slot, though he spent most of his two seasons at Maryland (after transferring from West Virginia) playing outside the speedy Felton.

Prather displayed excellent hands and contested-catch ability for the Terrapins, and he proved to be a very effective blocker–a quality that won’t get usage in the practices outside of team drills. If he can show off clean footwork and quickness out of his breaks in 1-on-1 drills, Prather can certainly rise. If he’s struggling to get separation and not using his size to shield off defenders well, which does show on his Maryland tape, Prather likely falls into the deeper depths of Day 3.

7 potential Chargers draft targets on defense to watch at the East-West Shrine Bowl

The Chargers need to upgrade a few positions on the defensive side of the ball, so here are seven players that they could have on their radar.

Draft season kicks into high gear, with the East-West Shrine Bowl set to start this week. This event is the beginning of the pre-draft process for NFL teams as they continue their evaluations of prospects.

Here are seven defensive players to watch for the Chargers in Frisco, TX.

DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan

The Chargers need to upgrade the interior part of the defensive line, and they could do so as early as the first round with Grant, who is familiar with head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. A member of The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s Freak List, Grant offers the overall size, strength, explosiveness, and disruptiveness to wreak havoc in opposing backfields.

DL Jordan Phillips, Maryland

Another member of the Freak List, Phillips is a trench-bound nightmare for offensive centers and guards, possessing the power and heavy hands that enable him to knock blockers back and the anchor strength when defending the run, as he is not easily moved off the ball. At only 20 years of age, his best football is still ahead of him.

EDGE Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr., Virginia Tech

The future of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack with the Chargers remains to be seen. But regardless of whether they’re back or not, the team needs to add more pass-rush juice to the positional room. Powell finished this season with 16 sacks (second-most in the nation) and three forced fumbles after 9.5 sacks and three fumbles in 2023. Despite being a little undersized at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, he is explosive off the snap with an excellent first step, great bend, and active hands.

EDGE Johnny Walker, Missouri

Walker was a standout for the Tigers this season, finishing the season with 42 quarterback pressures, 9.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Walker’s explosiveness off the ball is what stands out. He has good bend and flexibility, allowing him to get around tackles and to the quarterback. He has the makings of a solid designated pass rusher for the Chargers early in his career.

CB Zy Alexander, LSU

Asante Samuel Jr. and Kristian Fulton are both set to be free agents. Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still (who attended last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl) showed they could be starters, but the position room would benefit from depth behind them. At 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, Alexander possesses great size and length, ball skills, long speed, and physicality in run support that is coveted at the position. During his college career, Alexander intercepted 13 passes.

CB Mello Dotson, Kansas

Kansas has two cornerbacks attending the Shrine Bowl, and it’s been Dotson’s teammate, Cobee Bryant, who’s earned more of the attention. But Dotson should not be slept on. Dotson is the first AP All-American defensive back from Kansas since Aqib Talib. An experienced player, Dotson started 46 games for the Jayhawks. A ballhawk in the secondary with great anticipatory instincts, he totaled 12 career interceptions, four of which were returned for touchdowns, and 25 passes defended.

S Shamari Simmons, Arizona State

The Chargers’ safety group was one of their strongest positions this past season. But with Elijah Molden slated to hit the free agency market and Alohi Gilman’s contract expiring at the end of next season, they could afford to add more playmakers on the back end. Simmons was the Sun Devils’ Nickel in 2024, but he has plenty of experience playing the deep parts of the field, too. Simmons can make plays all over with his FBI/instincts, twitch, and violent demeanor.

Saints defensive assistant named to Shrine Bowl coaching staff

One current Saints defensive assistant has been named to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl coaching staff. Matt Giordano will be working with the DB’s:

New Orleans Saints defensive assistant and former NFL safety Matt Giordano has been named to the East-West Shrine Bowl coaching staff for the 2025 event. He’ll be responsible for coaching the defensive backs on the East Team.

Giordano played out his college career at Fresno City College and California-Berkley, before he was ultimately selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft.

Over his nine-year NFL career, he played four seasons for the Colts, one season for the Green Bay Packers, one season for the Saints, two seasons for the then-Oakland Raiders and his final season with the then-St. Louis Rams.

As far as his coaching career goes, he started up as the Buchanan High School head coach in Clovis, California from 2016-21, also seeing time at Fresno State as a volunteer assistant (2022) and with the Saints from 2023 to present. He played under Dennis Allen on the Raiders and reunited with his old coach to work in the secondary.

It will be interesting to watch what the future holds for Giordano, with the Saints expected to make several changes within the staff and the team roster over the offseason.

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Packers will get close look at East roster’s OL group during Shrine Bowl week

Packers assistant OL coach Eddie Gordon will help coach the East team during the Shrine Bowl.

The East-West Shrine Bowl game is scheduled for January 30th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with practice slated to start on Saturday, January 25th.

Green Bay Packers assistant offensive line coach Eddie Gordon will be coaching the offensive line group for the East team.

Zach Tom and Jon Runyan Jr are two offensive lineman that competed at the Shrine Bowl that Brian Gutekunst has drafted in the past. With Green Bay’s assitant offensive line coach getting an up close look at the East offensive line group, it’s fair to think that the Packers could target one of the 11 players that Gordon will be coaching down in Texas.

Joe Huber, iOL, Wisconsin

Huber has taken snaps at every position along the offensive line during his collegiate career. The former Cincinnati Bearcat started 13 games at left guard, 12 at right guard and 12 at right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Huber gave up one sack and seven pressures this past season.

Xavier Truss, OL, Georgia

Georgia’s starting right tackle has started games at left tackle and both guard spots during his time in Athens. Truss paves the way as a run blocker and has good range.

Joshua Gray, OL, Oregon State

Gray finished his collegiate career with 44 starts at left tackle and 12 at left guard. He’s listed as a center on the Shrine Bowl website and it’s a safe bet he’ll take snaps at all three positions throughout the week.

Bryce Cabeldue, OL, Kansas

Cabeldue finished his career at Kansas with 47 starts to his name, with 35 starts at right tackle and 12 at left tackle. The seasoned offensive tackle is a powerful run blocker and could provide the Packers with a swing tackle.

Dalton Cooper, OL, Oklahoma State

A Texas State transfer, Cooper has logged 3,669 snaps at left tackle and 173 at right tackle. Cooper has a good anchor against power and has coordinated feet out of his stance. This past season Cooper gave up zero sacks and six pressures.

Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, OT, Oregon State

A Colorado transfer, the Oregon State starting left tackle finished his career with 31 career starts. He’s a mountain of a man and has good foot quickness to shut down the corner.

Tyler Cooper, G, Minnesota

Cooper started 21 games at left guard for the Golden Gophers and has taken snaps at both tackle positions and at right guard. Cooper moves well in space and creates movement as a run blocker.

Aiden Williams, OL, UMD

The Alaska native played tight end in high school and is an athletic offensive lineman that gets out in space without laboring. This will be a big test for Williams to showcase he can handle the step up in competition.

Esa Pole, OT, Washington State

A JUCO transfer, Pole finished his two-year stay at Washington State with 21 starts at left tackle. This past season he gave up zero sacks and 10 pressures.

The other two players that Gordon will coach during Shrine Bowl week is Lindenwood’s Gareth Warren, who has taken snaps at both left tackle and left guard, and Middlebury’s Thomas Perry.

Dolphins assistant coach will be OC in East-West Shrine Bowl

Three Dolphins assistant coaches will be on the coaching staffs at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl.

Miami Dolphins offensive assistant Parks Frazier will serve as an offensive coordinator for the East Team in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl, the game announced Thursday.

Frazier, 33, spent three seasons as an assistant on the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching staff and the 2023 season with the Carolina Panthers as a passing game coordinator. The Dolphins added Frazier to their coaching staff in 2024.

In addition to Frazier, Dolphins assistant defensive line coach Kynjee Cotton will serve as the defensive line coach of the East Team, and Dolphins offensive assistant Roman Sapolu will be the offensive line coach for the West Team.

The Shrine Bowl is one of a few collegiate all-star games that serve as an opportunity for NFL coaches and scouts to get a closer look at players who are eligible to be picked in the draft. While not as prestigious and talent-rich as the Senior Bowl, recent alumni of the Shrine Bowl include three of the Dolphins’ 2024 draft picks: Mohamed Kamara, Malik Washington, and Tahj Washington.

Frazier and Cotton will work with Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams, who is set to be the head coach of the East Team. The West Team head coach is New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, Jan. 30.

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Saints head coach candidate selected to coach the Senior Bowl

Few teams love scouting all-star games like the Saints, and one of their head coach candidates was just tabbed to work this year’s Senior Bowl:

The New Orleans Saints could be in line for an extended evaluation on New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, as he’s now been selected as a head coach in this year’s Senior Bowl.

Kafka, an offensive guy of course, will now get the opportunity to spend an entire week getting to know some of college football’s most exciting young talent, while also helping them improve their draft stock. This time could also be valuable in getting more insight on a coach like Kafka, who’s mostly been  kept behind the scenes in the few places he’s been (having come up on Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs staff). Buy-in from his team to go along with a great week of preparation, will only add to his candidacy as a potential head coach in New Orleans.

Bubba Ventrone who is the Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator is set to be leading the opposing squad at Senior Bowl week as well. We’ll also see Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Maurice Williams and Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen lead their respective teams in the East-West Shrine Bowl, which will feature potential top-five pick Shedeur Sanders. Williams will be coaching the East team with Bowen coaching the West.

These pre-draft events have often come as a huge opportunity for the New Orleans Saints to evaluate college talent. Just in last year’s draft alone, the team selected five players who participated in either the Senior Bowl or the Shrine Bowl. In addition to this they signed a third of their 16 undrafted players from the pool who took part in those games. For this reason, it’s always a great idea to tap into whichever of these events is available to you.

Who knows? The team’s next big star could be right at your fingertips.

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Wisconsin starting offensive lineman accepts invite to postseason all-star game

Wisconsin starting offensive lineman accepts invite to postseason all-star game

Wisconsin starting right guard Joe Huber accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl last week.

The two-year starter is one of two Wisconsin starting linemen off to the NFL after the 2024 season, joining left tackle Jack Nelson.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 transfer portal departure tracker

Huber transferred to the Badgers before the 2023 season after three years at Cincinnati, one as its starting right tackle. With Riley Mahlman entrenched at the position and Nelson set at left tackle, Huber’s path to playing time was along the interior.

He started all 25 games at right guard for the Badgers during his two years with the program. His strong play at the position was rewarded with being named to the All-Big Ten Third Team (coaches). For reference, Huber was the only Badger to land on an all-conference team after the 2024 season.

The accomplished lineman is currently projected to be signed as an undrafted free agent after the upcoming draft. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to change that standing, starting with the East-West Shrine Bowl on Jan. 30.

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Receiver Isaiah Neyor accepts Shrine Bowl invite

Isaiah Neyor has officially accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Nebraska football wide receiver Isaiah Neyor accepted his invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, set for January 30, 2025.

Neyor has been a veteran wide receiver on an offense that has been explosive at times this year. He has tallied 28 catches for 426 yards and five touchdowns. His best game of the season came against Illinois back in September. He had four catches for 90 yards in that game, as well as two touchdowns. He averaged 22.5 yards per catch in the process.

The wide receiver came over from the Texas Longhorns in January. He has been a needed veteran on a young team.

Now, he’ll have a chance to showcase his skill set nationally as Nebraska looks to wrap up the 2024 regular season on Friday.

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