5 Takeaways from Day 3 of East-West Shrine Bowl Practices

by Zachary Somma

The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl continued as Day 3 of practice got underway on Monday with early practice sessions for both teams being held at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. The East roster once again got on the field first, before the West roster closed out the day.

Here are 5 notes and takeaways from Day 3 of the East-West Shrine Bowl practice:

1.) Okay, maybe Jordan Phillips is the best player on the West roster

In yesterday’s practice notes, I put it out there that Indiana DT CJ West might be the best player on the West side for the Shrine Bowl. While I do still believe that, it should be said that

Maryland DT Jordan Phillips is certainly giving him a run for his money for that title. The former Terrapin has been almost unblockable all week in Denton and has been a matchup nightmare in the one on one drills. He has shown off a bevy of pass rush moves despite being a bit more known as a run stuffer in college. His tape reminds me a little bit of current Steelers DT Keeanu Benton, who had some explosive wins across his Wisconsin prospect film despite being more known for his ability against the run.

2.) QBs continue up and down stretches of play

As expected, it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride so far at the QB position during Shrine Bowl practices. Outside of Syracuse QB Kyle McCord, nobody had really stood out from the rest of

the pack, something that continued into Day 3. In fact, Day 3 may have been the most inconsistent day so far, as almost every QB had some highlight-reel throws, but also some

lowlights. The aforementioned McCord was honestly having a tough day early in his session, including a very poor read that led to an INT for Kentucky LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson. But he rebounded with a phenomenal tight window throw to former teammate TE Oronde Gadsden II to end off on a strong note. Fellow East QBs Payton Thorne and Cam Miller from Auburn and North Dakota State respectively also had some nice throws during their sessions today. For the West, Minnesota QB Max Brosmer continues to stand out on that side of the roster, but Missouri QB Brady Cook kept pace with a nice performance in the red zone team drill.

3.) Tight ends have a great day in the team drills

One position group I haven’t mentioned too much in my takeaways so far has been the tight ends, which is unfortunate given there are some very intriguing names on both rosters. The East roster saw some fantastic reps from their TEs today, including an amazing contested catch up in the air from South Carolina’s Joshua Simon. Auburn’s Rivaldo Fairweather has also stood out throughout each practice session. But the most notable TE for the East may not be a TE at all, in Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II. He’s been labelled as essentially a true receiver throughout his college career but measured in at a respectable 240 pounds at the Shrine Bowl, and seems to have not lost a step at all with the extra weight; clearly being the most impressive receiving TE in practice.

On the West side, all 4 TEs have had their moments throughout the week so far. Towson TE Carter Runyon has shown he can fit in nicely amongst higher competition, Ole Miss TE Caden

Prieskorn is physically imposing and a smart receiver. Texas Tech’s Jalin Conyers has had a bit of a slow go the past 2 sessions but had a strong outing on Day 3 with multiple receptions in team drills. Iowa’s Luke Lachey might be the most notable though, both due the pedigree of Iowa Hawkeye TEs in the NFL (TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, George Kittle), but also with his performance so far in practice.

4.) Colorado WRs rounding into form

With QB Shedeur Sanders opting out of participating in the on-field activities this week, a lot of the attention has turned to his former Colorado teammates. While his brother, safety Shilo Sanders is the most notable, it is his 3 former wideouts that are some of the most intriguing players at the Shrine Bowl. Day 1 saw LaJohntay Wester get off to a strong start, but it took until today for the other two to really start living up to their potential. Will Sheppard is the tallest and most physical of the group and made a couple of nice grabs in both one on ones and the team period. But the biggest star of today was Jimmy Horn Jr. At just over 5’7, Horn has to rely on his speed and route running to win, and he showed out today. He had a great one on one session where his route running and foot speed was smooth and came down with a fantastic catch in the team period.

5.) Many steady performers throughout the week so far

For my last takeaway, I wanted to briefly mention a bunch of guys who have had consistently good to great performances across all 3 days of practice so far. Some of these players have been mentioned before, but some have not and I wanted to give some recognition to the players who might not have stood out in a dominant way, but deserve praise for their work to this point. Rutgers CB Robert Longerbeam had his best day of practice today but has racked up multiple PBUs in one on ones so far. BYU EDGE Tyler Batty, Boston College DT Cam Horsley, and Boise State EDGE Ahmed Hassanein have all kept pace with fellow West defensive linemen CJ West and Jordan Phillips. I’ve mentioned Boston College center/guard Drew Kendall this week, but NC State guard Timothy McKay has also had a strong week of practice as somehow, I have not mentioned to this point. Cincinnati offensive tackle John Williams has been good across his one-on-one sessions. Pitt WR Konata Mumpfield has turned some heads this week, while Miami WR JaColby George has been downright unguardable at times. Georgia WR Dominic Lovett has consistently won in his practice sessions for the East. South Carolina RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders had a very strong day 3 to build upon his solid week to this point. Finally, Kansas guard Bryce Cabeldue has been routinely impressive in the one on drills; no flashy wins but consistently holding his ground each rep.