Florida Gators Linebacker Accepts Senior Bowl Invite

Another member of the Gators defense is heading to Mobile, Ala. to participate in the upcoming Senior Bowl

The Gators will have multiple defensive reps at the Senior Bowl / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Florida Gators linebacker Shemar James has accepted an invite to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl. 

OFFICIAL! LB Shemar James @Shemarjames06 from @GatorsFB is heading to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl!!! 👏👏👏 #GoGators #BestOfTheBest #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️@JimNagy_SB @PaniniAmerica #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/L9fAiTs6cf

— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 7, 2025

James joins Gators defensive lineman Cam Jackson and punter Jeremy Crawshaw in representing the program at the game.  

He announced he was forgoing his final year of eligibility and declaring for the NFL Draft on Dec. 26. 

James played in all 12 regular-season games for the Gators, making 59 tackles and picking up two sacks. He’s also forced and recovered a fumble and has an interception. In the 33-8 blowout win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl, James made five tackles, all of which were solo. 

A notable game for him came during the 27-16 upset win over No. 22 LSU. He had two of the Gators' seven sacks in the game and made a career-high 11 tackles. This earned him the SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

The Senior Bowl will be held on Feb. 1 with a 2:30 p.m. EST kickoff. It will be televised on NFL Network. 

According to their website, the Senior Bowl is the longest continual-running all-star game has taken place in Mobile, Ala., for the past 76 years. Last year’s game produced 110 total picks, representing 43 percent of the entire NFL draft.

Historically, the Gators have sent 115 players to the Senior Bowl, most recently center Kingsley Eguakun and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall a year ago.

This is not the only notable pre-draft game that Gators players are participating in. They are well represented in a few games across the country.

Three players are participating in the East-West Shrine Bowl: running back Montrell Johnson Jr., cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. 

Johnson will also join safety Trikweze Bridges and wide receivers Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike in the Hula Bowl.