Venables: Hartman has ‘been a baller for a long time’

Last season Clemson handled Wake Forest 37-13 and shut down their offense at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. N.C. This season the Demon Deacons boast one of the most prolific offenses in college football and they hope to carry that momentum into …

Last season Clemson handled Wake Forest 37-13 and shut down their offense at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. N.C.

This season the Demon Deacons boast one of the most prolific offenses in college football and they hope to carry that momentum into Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Wake Forest is led by sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman who caught fire early this season and put his team in the driver’s seat of the ACC’s Atlantic Division.

But Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables thinks while Hartman has developed in 2021, he possessed the same skills in 2020.

“Has nobody been watching Wake Forest?,” Venables asked on Monday. “They’ve been really good, and he’s been really good. He’s the same guy, he is just really good again. I’m not trying to be funny, haven’t they been good? They were right there last year.”

Hartman ranks fifth nationally in both touchdowns and quarterback rating with 30 and an 84.3 respectively. He is also tied for the eighth most yards of any quarterback in the FBS with 3,163 yards.

This year the Demon Deacons rank second nationally in scoring offense with 44.7 points per game, they rank seventh nationally in yards per game averaging 498.4 and eighth nationally in plays per game with 79.8.

“He’s developed, matured, has a lost of moxie and great instincts and he has a great presence,” Venables said. “He really understands the offense and the structure of defenses and how they are going to attack, so he makes a lot of really good decisions so those are the proverbial layups so he isn’t putting it in harm’s way and now the offense can be fluid.”

Venables recalled the first time he saw Hartman play in the 2017 Shrine Bowl representing the Sandlappers in the game after a stellar career at Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

Hartman quarterbacked the defensive coordinator’s son Jake Venables’ team in the annual game and the quarterback impressed Venables from the first time he watched him.

“He’s just more of the same to me, that’s what Sam is,” Venables said. “He played in the Shrine Bowl with one of my sons years ago and that’s what he did there too. He did it in high school and he’s been a baller for a long time.”

Clemson hosts Hartman and the Demon Deacons on Saturday at noon at Memorial Stadium.

NFL draft news: The annual Shrine Bowl will be in Las Vegas in 2022

The Shrine Bowl is the traditional kickoff event for NFL draft season

The 2022 NFL draft will take place in Las Vegas, and now the traditional kickoff event to draft season is joining the festivities in Nevada.

The Shrine Bowl is moving to Las Vegas for 2022, uprooting from its longtime home in St. Petersburg. The Bowl announced the move in a press release on Tuesday.

For years the Shrine Bowl has served as the unofficial kickoff of draft season. Nearly every GM and all college scouts descend upon St. Pete during mid-January to evaluate over 90 players whose college eligibility is spent. The practice sessions and easy access to interview players are tremendous tools for NFL teams, as well as the draft media.

The will now be played on Thursday, February 3rd and broadcast on NFL Network. It is the same week as the Senior Bowl in Mobile, which will be played on Saturday, February 5th.

Most of the Shrine Bowl players wind up being drafted on Day 3 or enter the NFL as priority free agents. In recent years the Browns have plucked Sione Takitaki, D’Ernest Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine, Chad Thomas, Nate Orchard and Pierre Desir (among others) as Shrine Bowl alums in the draft.

The Shrine Bowl moves to Las Vegas for 2022

The Shrine Bowl in St. Pete has been the traditional kickoff for draft season for years

The NFL draft scouting circuit is already facing some changes with the potential relocation of the annual NFL scouting combine from Indianapolis. Now one of the most important fixtures on the calendar, the Shrine Bowl, is making a big change, too.

The Shrine Bowl is moving to Las Vegas for 2022, uprooting from its longtime home in St. Petersburg. The Bowl announced the move in a press release on Tuesday.

For years the Shrine Bowl has served as the unofficial kickoff of draft season. Nearly every GM and all college scouts descend upon St. Pete during mid-January to evaluate over 90 players whose college eligibility is spent. It will now be played on Thursday, February 3rd and broadcast on NFL Network. It is the same week as the Senior Bowl in Mobile, which will be played on Saturday, February 5th.

The bulk of Shrine Bowl participants are selected in the third through seventh rounds of the draft. Detroit has found considerable success over the years in scouting players from the Shrine Bowl, formerly the East-West Shrine Game, including Kenny Golladay, Graham Glasgow, Anthony Zettel, Devin Taylor and Theo Riddick.

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Michigan State Football LB Antjuan Simmons named East-West Shrine Bowl All-Star

Michigan State’s Antjuan Simmons has been selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

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The East-West Shrine Bowl is an annual college football All-Star game that recognizes some of the top players in college football. The game itself is canceled this year due to COVID-19, but they are still honoring the nation’s top players. Michigan State Football will have at least one player honored by the Shrine Bowl as linebacker Antjuan Simmons was named to the team on Tuesday.

Simmons was, in this writer’s opinion, clearly the best player on MSU’s roster this year and should be their best chance to extend their notable NFL Draft streak.

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The Shrine Bowl process will still allow players to engage in NFL Draft informational and virtual training sessions with NFL coaches.

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The Shrine Bowl will not be played in 2021

The Shrine Bowl has been a great resource for finding draft prospects

The longest-running postseason collegiate all-star game will not be played in 2021. The organizers of the annual East-West Shrine Bowl announced on Tuesday that the game is off for the coming winter due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The game was scheduled for January 23rd in St. Petersburg. The week of practice sessions leading into the game is one of the most prominent stops on the NFL Draft prospecting circuit. The Shrine Bowl, formerly the Shrine Game, tends to produce a lot of Day Three draft picks, the players taken in the fourth through seventh rounds, as well as many undrafted free agents who stick in the NFL.

The Browns have found many future draft picks over the years from the Shrine Bowl, including Sione Takitaki and rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Report: Saints met with several wide receiver prospects at 2020 Shrine Bowl

The New Orleans Saints met with several 2020 NFL Draft prospects at the 2020 Shrine Bowl, including Boise State receiver John Hightower.

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Everyone meets with everyone in the months leading up the NFL Draft, and 2020 should be no different. Whether contact is made before or after practice at all-star games like the Shrine Bowl or Senior Bowl, in brisk interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine, after-hours following pro day workouts, or on private facilities visits, the New Orleans Saints and every other team will have opportunities to meet with every draft prospect on their big board.

So we shouldn’t look too deeply into individual meetings. All of that said, it’s fun to track these things and speculate about the future. Per a report from The Draft Network, the Saints were noticed meeting with four different draft prospects at last week’s Shrine Bowl practices. Here’s a quick summary on each of them:

RB Rico Dowdle, South Carolina

Other meetings: Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins

Weighing in at 5-foot-1 and 214 pounds, Dowdle is a perfect fit for what the Saints like from a height/weight profile. He logged 428 rushing attempts for 2,167 yards on the ground in four years with the Gamecocks (averaging 5.1 yards per carry), scoring 16 touchdown runs along the way. He also caught 62 passes in his collegiate career to gain 483 yards through the air (7.8 yards per reception), scoring three touchdowns in his first three years. He played 39 games for South Carolina, averaging 11.1 carries and 1.6 receptions per game.

WR Binjimen Victor, Ohio State

Other meetings: Miami Dolphins

Victor weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, and has shown an ability to stretch the field in four years with the Buckeyes. He averaged 16.1 yards per reception in 33 games, totaling 83 receptions for 1,340 yards — and catching 18 touchdown passes. He averaged 2.5 catches and 40.6 receiving yards per game, though he caught just 4 passes for 64 yards in three games as a true freshman back in 2016. He could be someone the Saints target on the third day of the draft, or maybe in undrafted free agency.

WR Keith Gavin, Florida State

Other meetings:Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Chargers

Tipping the scales at a hair under 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, Gavin only played one game as a true freshman before finding a role for himself the last three years. Injuries limited his availability throughout his career, however, as Gavin suited up for just 28 games in his last three years. He finished his career with 71 receptions for 901 receiving yards (12.7 yards per catch) and only a single touchdown grab. He averaged 2.5 receptions and 31.1 receiving yards per game and might be a priority free agent after the draft.

WR John Hightower, Boise State

Other meetings: Philadelphia Eagles (twice), New York Giants, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs

Hightower measured in at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, a little shorter and quite heavier than his listed stats, which is preferable (the list of productive 172-pound receivers in the NFL is brief, but plenty don’t quite reach 6-foot-2). He transferred to Boise State from the junior college ranks and immediately established himself as an offensive weapon, averaging 17.6 yards per catch in two years while scoring 16 touchdowns from scrimmage. He averaged 3.6 catches for 63.0 receiving yards per game, as well as 1.0 carries for 13.8 rushing yards per outing. He could be seen as a backup option should the Saints target someone like Laviska Shenault Jr. early but aren’t able to select that kind of versatile weapon.

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Notre Dame’s Tony Jones and Chris Finke Participate in Shrine Game

Either Finke or Jones getting drafted remains unlikely for April’s NFL Draft

Tony Jones, Jr. and Chris Finke spent Saturday representing Notre Dame at the 2020 East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Florida.

It wasn’t the showing either were likely looking for as Jones gained just five yards on seven carries for the West squad while Finke was held without a reception.

Neither Finke or Jones getting drafted remains unlikely for April’s NFL Draft, something we discussed when Jones announced he’d be entering a couple weeks ago.

As for the game, Benny LeMay of Charlotte led all rushers with 86 yards and two scores on 15 carries and was named offensive MVP.

James Robinson of Illinois State racked up 80 yards as well, 65 of which came on a fourth quarter touchdown run.

Finally, former Navy quarterback and Notre Dame opponent Malcom Perry got one carry, taking it to the house for a 52 yard touchdown.

Adrian Killins, Jr. of UCF had a game-high 92 receiving yards.

Luther Kirk of Illinois State was named defensive MVP after recording a pair of tackles and an interception.

The East defeated the West 31-27.

Michigan State Football S David Dowell accepts invite to 2020 Shrine Bowl

It is getting closer to January which means it is nearly college football all-star game season. Michigan State safety David Dowell was invited and has now accepted his invite to one of these in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The Shrine Bowl just …

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It is getting closer to January which means it is nearly college football all-star game season. Michigan State safety David Dowell was invited and has now accepted his invite to one of these in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The Shrine Bowl just rebranded and was formerly the Shrine Game.

MSU was represented by Matt Sokol last year in the annual game. The East-West Shrine Bowl has been played every year since 1925 and benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children. The game is held in St. Petersburg, Florida in Tropicana Field on January 18th.

He will look to join his brother Andrew, who was just signed by the New Orleans Saints, in the NFL.

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