Purdue Tight End Payne Durham Accepts Invite to 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue redshirt senior tight end Payne Durham has accepted an invitation to play in the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, it was announced on Thursday. Teammate Aidan O'Connell also accepted an invite to the game.
The postseason all-star game has been played annually since the 1925 season and features some of the top senior college football players across the country. It allows players to showcase their skills in front of NFL representatives ahead of the draft.
Many decorated NFL stars have played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, including Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, John Elway and Gale Sayers. This year's contest will be held on Feb. 2, 2023, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Durham — who was also named a semifinalist for the 2022 John Mackey Award — has caught 41 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns so far in 2022, ranking second on the team in all three categories.
This season, Durham surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for his career and is currently tied for 10th in program history with 17 receiving touchdowns alongside Jim Beirne and Calvin Williams. He ranks second in touchdowns among all tight ends for the Boilermakers, trailing only Dave Young's 27 scores.
Purdue has a 5-4 overall record on the season, which includes a 3-3 mark in Big Ten play, heading into a road matchup with Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 12. The game is scheduled to kick off at noon ET at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., and will be aired on ESPN 2.
Related Stories on Purdue Football:
- Aidan O'Connell Accepts Invite to East-West Shrine Bowl: Purdue sixth-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell accepted an invitation for the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Preparing for Matchup With Dominant Illinois Defense: Illinois boasts a stout defense that's allowing just 10.4 points and 232.2 total yards per game this season. Purdue has fallen behind early in back-to-back losses and is looking to get back on track Saturday on the road. CLICK HERE
- What Jeff Brohm Said Ahead of Road Game Against Illinois: Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm met with the media Monday ahead of the team's road game against Illinois. The two programs are scheduled to kick off at noon ET on Saturday inside Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Football Opens as the Underdog against Illinois: Purdue (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) enters this week as a 6.5-point underdog in its upcoming road game against Illinois (7-2, 5-2). The two teams are scheduled to kick off at noon ET at Memorial Stadium, in Champaign, Ill. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.