Eight Virginia Football Players Named Top Draft-Eligible Players by Shrine Bowl

Matt Newton | Jul 24, 2024

September 9, 22023 in Charlottesville, Virginia; Virginia Cavaliers defensive end Chico Bennett Jr. (15) keeps his eye on the ball while James Madison initiates a play against in the first half of the game at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Pajewski-USA TODAY Sports / Hannah Pajewski-USA TODAY Sports

The East-West Shrine Bowl unveiled its annual Shrine Bowl 1000, a list of the top college football players who are eligible for both the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Draft next year, and eight Virginia football players were included in the list. Among those recognized were UVA defensive players Chico Bennett Jr., Kam Butler, Jonas Sanker, and Jahmeer Carter, offensive players Malachi Fields, Chris Tyree, and Tyler Neville, and punter Daniel Sparks.

With the goal of predicting the roughly 1000 players who will be drafted, signed as undrafted free agents, or attend a rookie mini-camp next season, the Shrine Bowl's team of scouts consult with NFL and college football personnel to assess all four levels of collegiate football to determine the best 1000 players eligible to be drafted next year. The East-West Shrine Bowl will be held on January 30th, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In 2024, Chico Bennett Jr. will conclude a career that began with two years at Georgia Tech by playing his third and final season at Virginia. Bennett has logged 19 starts and 21 total games as a Cavalier and was an All-ACC honorable mention and two-time ACC Player of the Week in 2022, but is looking for a big-time bounce-back season after failing to record a sack in 2023.

Jonas Sanker is coming off of a breakout 2023 campaign in which he earned First-Team All-ACC honors after leading the Cavaliers with 11 pass breakups and 107 total tackles, 73 of which were solo stops. He was all over the field for the Cavaliers, registering four tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

Malachi Fields is in position to be Virginia's wide receiver No. 1 this season after garnering an All-ACC honorable mention in his first year as a starter. In 2023, Fields started all 12 games and posted 58 receptions for 811 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.8 catches per game and 14 yards per reception. He caught a pass in every single game.

Kam Butler was on pace for an incredible 2023 season until he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Virginia's fourth game of the year against NC State. Though he missed the final eight games of the year, Butler still led the Cavaliers with 3.5 sacks and was second on the team with five tackles for loss. He also recorded 23 total tackles, 16 of which were unassisted, in just 199 snaps.

READ MORE: Tony Elliott Says Virginia Football Quarterback Competition is "Still Open"

Possibly the most impactful transfer pickup of the offseason for Tony Elliott, Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree will look to help replace the production UVA lost with the departure of Malik Washington. A former five-star and top 25 overall recruit, Tyree played three seasons at running back and excelled as a pass-catcher out of the backfield before transitioning to full-time wide receiver for the Fighting Irish in his final season. In 2023, Tyree recorded 26 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns and served as Notre Dame's punt returner, averaging 10.8 yards per punt and returning one punt for a touchdown. He has amassed 3,284 all-purpose yards in his career.

Interior defensive lineman Jahmeer Carter is back for his fifth season of college football. The 6'2", 312-pound tackle has played in at least nine games in each of his four seasons as a Cavalier and started in at least 10 games in each of the last three seasons. The 2023 campaign was his best one yet, as Carter recorded 35 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.

Another key transfer, former Harvard tight end Tyler Neville was arguably the top tight end in the Ivy League, as he earned two All-Ivy League First Team selections in the last two years. Neville posted 24 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, leading the Crimson to their first Ivy League Championship since 2015. He finished his Harvard career with 62 catches for 698 yards and eight touchdowns in 30 games played. 

After becoming just the ninth UVA punter to earn an All-ACC selection in 2022, a season in which he matched the program's single-season punting average record and led the ACC in that category, Daniel Sparks took a bit of a step back in 2023, as his punting average dropped by three yards and he had a few punts blocked as well. Sparks will look to return to his 2022 form this fall.

Even with eight players making the list, there do seem to be some potential snubs, as Kobe Pace, Corey Thomas, Tony Muskett, and Malcolm Greene are all draft-eligible, but did not make the cut.

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