2026 East-West Shrine Bowl: Event Overview and Player Invites

About the East-West Shrine Bowl (2026 Overview)

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation and a cornerstone of the NFL Draft evaluation calendar. For more than a century, the event has provided elite college prospects a nationally televised platform to compete in front of NFL scouts, coaches, and executives from all 32 teams, with a structure built around pro-style practices and direct NFL evaluation.

Under the direction of Eric Galko, Shrine Bowl Executive Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel, the event has evolved into one of the most NFL-aligned evaluation environments in the pre-draft process. Recent results underscore its credibility: the 2025 NFL Draft produced one first-round pick, nine selections in the first four rounds, 51 total draft picks, and 92 NFL Scouting Combine invitations from Shrine Bowl participants.

Beyond football, the event supports Shriners Children’s, raising funds and awareness to help provide specialized pediatric care for children facing complex medical challenges.

2026 Event Details and Schedule

• Practices: January 23–26, 2026

• Game Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

• Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET

• Location: Ford Center at The Star (Dallas Cowboys headquarters), Frisco, Texas

• Broadcast: NFL Network

Offense: Experience, Versatility, and Clear NFL Role Projection

The quarterback group is headlined by experienced starters such as Cade Klubnik, Haynes King, and Joe Fagnano, each offering distinct stylistic profiles for evaluators to study in a pro-style environment.

At the skill positions, receivers like De'Zhaun Stribling and Skyler Bell bring alignment flexibility and defined offensive roles, while the offensive line is anchored by versatile blockers such as Diego Pounds and Jagger Burton, giving NFL teams multiple evaluation pathways across the week.

Quarterbacks (QB)

• Cade Klubnik — Clemson (EAST)

• Behren Morton — Texas Tech (EAST)

• Miller Moss — Louisville (WEST)

• Haynes King — Georgia Tech (WEST)

• Mark Gronowski — Iowa (WEST)

• Joe Fagnano — Connecticut (WEST)

• Kyron Drones — Virginia Tech (EAST)

• Jalon Daniels — Kansas (EAST)

  
  

Running Backs (RB)

• Chip Trayanum — Toledo (EAST)

• Robert Henry Jr. — UTSA (EAST)

• Roman Hemby — Indiana (WEST)

• Eli Heidenreich — Navy (EAST)

• CJ Donaldson — Ohio State (WEST)

• Dean Connors — Houston (WEST)

• Demond Claiborne — Wake Forest (WEST)

• Kentrel Bullock — South Alabama (EAST)

  
  

Wide Receivers (WR)

• Colbie Young — Georgia (EAST)

• Kaden Wetjen — Iowa (WEST)

• Jalen Walthall — Incarnate Word (EAST)

• Noah Thomas — Georgia (EAST)

• Zavion Thomas — LSU (EAST)

• J. Michael Sturdivant — Florida (WEST)

• De’Zhaun Stribling — Ole Miss (EAST)

• Chase Roberts — BYU (WEST)

• Eric Rivers — Georgia Tech (WEST)

• Kendrick Law — Kentucky (EAST)

• Chris Hilton — LSU (EAST)

• Emmanuel Henderson Jr. — Kansas (WEST)

• Jeff Caldwell — Cincinnati (WEST)

• Malik Benson — Oregon (WEST)

• Skyler Bell — Connecticut (WEST)

• Dillon Bell — Georgia (EAST)

  
  

Tight Ends (TE)

• Seydou Traore — Mississippi State (WEST)

• Bauer Sharp — LSU (WEST)

• Eli Raridon — Notre Dame (EAST)

• Lake McRee — USC (EAST)

• Jaren Kanak — Oklahoma (WEST)

• Jack Endries — Texas (EAST)

• Dallen Bentley — Utah (EAST)

  
  

Offensive Tackles (OT)

• Jayden Williams — Ole Miss (EAST)

• Aamil Wagner — Notre Dame (EAST)

• Keagen Trost — Missouri (EAST)

• Diego Pounds — Ole Miss (EAST)

• James Neal III — Iowa State (WEST)

• Riley Mahlman — Wisconsin (WEST)

• Fa’alili Fa’amoe — Wake Forest (WEST)

• Garrett DiGiorgio — UCLA (WEST)

• Travis Burke — Memphis (EAST)

• Chris Adams — Memphis (EAST)

  
  

Interior Offensive Line (IOL)

• Dillon Wade — Auburn (EAST)

• Jaeden Roberts — Alabama (WEST)

• Ar’maj Reed-Adams — Texas A&M (WEST)

• Brian Parker II — Duke (WEST)

• Pete Nygra — Louisville (EAST)

• Febechi Nwaiwu — Oklahoma (WEST)

• Micah Morris — Georgia (EAST)

• Giovanni El-Hadi — Michigan (EAST)

• Anez Cooper — Miami (FL) (WEST)

• Pat Coogan — Indiana (WEST)

• DJ Campbell — Texas (EAST)

• Jager Burton — Kentucky (EAST)

• Josh Braun — Kentucky (EAST)

• Evan Beerntsen — Northwestern (WEST)

  
  

Defense: Depth, Versatility, and Translatable NFL Traits

The defensive roster at the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl underscores why evaluators view this side of the ball as a strength of the event.

The front seven is anchored by disruptive, role-diverse defenders such as Harold Perkins Jr., Albert Regis, and Malachi Lawrence, offering a mix of versatility, length, and power that translates cleanly to NFL schemes.

In the secondary, defenders like Domani Jackson and Robert Spears-Jennings provide evaluators with press-man, zone, and sub-package options, while also projecting as early contributors on special teams.

Interior Defensive Line (IDL)

• James Thompson Jr — Illinois (WEST)

• Gary Smith III — UCLA (EAST)

• Landon Robinson — Navy (EAST)

• Albert Regis — Texas A&M (WEST)

• Kaleb Proctor — Southeastern Louisiana (WEST)

• Tyler Onyedim — Texas A&M (WEST)

• Jackie Marshall — Baylor (EAST)

• Darrell Jackson Jr — Florida State (EAST)

• David Gusta — Kentucky (WEST)

• Dontay Corleone — Cincinnati (WEST)

• Brandon Cleveland — NC State (EAST)

• DeMonte Capehart — Clemson (EAST)

• David Blay — Miami (FL) (WEST)

  
  

EDGE Defenders

• Wesley Williams — Duke (EAST)

• Bryan Thomas Jr — South Carolina (EAST)

• Tyreak Sapp — Florida (WEST)

• Mason Reiger — Wisconsin (EAST)

• Patrick Payton — LSU (EAST)

• Anthony Lucas — USC (EAST)

• Malachi Lawrence — UCF (WEST)

• Nyjalik Kelly — UCF (WEST)

• Marvin Jones Jr — Oklahoma (EAST)

• Keyshawn James-Newby — New Mexico (WEST)

• Aidan Hubbard — Northwestern (WEST)

• George Gumbs Jr — Florida (WEST)

• Ethan Burke — Texas (WEST)

  
  

Linebackers (LB)

• Taurean York — Texas A&M (EAST)

• Declan Williams — Incarnate Word (EAST)

• West Weeks — LSU (EAST)

• Karson Sharar — Iowa (WEST)

• Jimmy Rolder — Michigan (WEST)

• Harold Perkins Jr — LSU (EAST)

• Red Murdock — Buffalo (EAST)

• Jackson Kuwatch — Miami (OH) (WEST)

• Jake Golday — Cincinnati (WEST)

• Eric Gentry — USC (WEST)

• Jaden Dugger — Louisiana (EAST)

• Wesley Bissainthe — Miami (FL) (WEST)

• Lander Barton — Utah (EAST)

  
  

Cornerbacks (CB)

• Ceyair Wright — Nebraska (WEST)

• Jarod Washington — South Carolina State (EAST)

• DeVonta Smith — Notre Dame (EAST)

• Avery Smith — Toledo (EAST)

• Devon Marshall — NC State (EAST)

• Domani Jackson — Alabama (WEST)

• Ahmari Harvey — Georgia Tech (WEST)

• Jaylon Guilbeau — Texas (WEST)

• Andre Fuller — Toledo (EAST)

• Tyreek Chappell — Texas A&M (WEST)

• Brent Austin — California (EAST)

• Marcus Allen — North Carolina (EAST)

  
  

Safeties (SAF)

• Cole Wisniewski — Texas Tech (EAST)

• Robert Spears-Jennings — Oklahoma (WEST)

• DQ Smith — South Carolina (EAST)

• Miles Scott — Illinois (WEST)

• Myles Rowser — Arizona State (EAST)

• Ahmaad Moses — SMU (WEST)

• Louis Moore — Indiana (WEST)

• Dalton Johnson — Arizona (EAST)

• Jalen Huskey — Maryland (WEST)

• Bishop Fitzgerald — USC (EAST)

• Austin Brown — Wisconsin (WEST)