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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
