As the headline says the rosters are almost set for the 85th Shrine Game. As you may know, after the Senior Bowl this is considered the top college football all-star game around.
Shrine Game rosters (nearly) set
In these all-star games, the emphasis always seems to be on the quarterbacks. For the East it will be Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), John Skelton (Fordham), Mike Kafka (Northwestern) and Jarrett Brown (West Virgnia). Clearly Skelton has the most to prove, and he could do so. LeFevour will likely be the East's starting quarterback, but Skelton could be the first signal caller off the bench.
Also for the East, make sure you check out Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green. He leads the nation in catches per game with 11.5 per contest. The East also features freaky tall Army tight end/wide receiver Ali Villanueva, who is a legit 6-foot-10.
Highly regarded cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah of Indiana University of Pennsylvania is perhaps the top small-school player in the game.
The West's best small-school player is arguably Northern Iowa's James Ruffin. He had finished in double-digit in sacks the last two seasons.
For teams that run the 3-4 defense, Kansas State's Jeffrey Fitzgerald will be closely watched. A transfer from Virginia, Fitzgerald has good size and the ability to get after the quarterback. He's a really good sleeper player.
He’s not the West’s best defensive lineman, however. That would be Jerry Hughes of TCU. Although, it should be noted, many expect Hughes to skip the game to play in the Senior Bowl.
The coaches this year will be Romeo Crennel (East) and Marty Schottenheimer (West). The game is on Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. in Orlando.
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