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Another Florida Gators Player Accepts Invite to East-West Shrine Bowl

The Florida Gators continue to build up their representation at the senior All-Star game in Dallas

Harrison Smajovits

The Gators are well represented at the East-West Shrine Bowl
The Gators are well represented at the East-West Shrine Bowl / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Florida Gators cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. has accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl. 

He joins offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and running back Montrell Johnson Jr. as a fellow Gator participant. 

One of the final Dan Mullen-era recruits will look to impress the scouts ahead of the draft in April. Marshall Jr. was a part of the Gator program for four years and appeared in 45 total games during this stretch. 

He only played in seven games during his senior season, due to an injury he suffered in the 48-20 win over Kentucky on Oct. 19. In those seven games, he totaled 20 tackles, four pass breakups, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.

He announced his intentioned to enter the NFL Draft on Dec. 21, the day after the 33-8 win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. 

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college all-star football game. It’s been held since 1925 by Shriners International to benefit the Shriner’s Hospital for Children (also known as Shriners Children’s). 

The NFL is heavily involved in this game. They supply the coaching staffs for the two teams from among current league assistant coaches whose teams do not advance to the playoffs. The NFL also provides the game officials for the contest. 

According to the East-West Shrine Bowl website, more than 100 players from last year’s game signed with professional teams, and more than 70 made final NFL rosters last season. They added that since the game’s inception, 78 former players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and More than 200 former players have been named to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Players are selected based on their potential to make NFL rosters. All 32 NFL teams take part in the player selection process. The general divide used to assign players to the East or West team is the Mississippi River. However, to ensure that the best players are selected for the game, it’s not a hard line. 

For example, the Gators had representatives on both teams in 2023. Linebacker Amari Burney played for the East while safety Trey Dean III and edge Brenton Cox played for the West.  

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Harrison Smajovits
HARRISON SMAJOVITS

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