Five alums will compete in the 98th-annual East-West Shrine Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 2. The game will be nationally televised on NFL Network.

The group includes four All-Sun Belt honorees from 2022, headlined by a pair of All-Sun Belt Second Team performers in Coastal Carolina redshirt senior defensive back Lance Boykin and Louisiana redshirt senior linebacker Andre Jones.

Louisiana All-Sun Belt Third Team pick senior wide receiver Michael Jefferson, App State All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention redshirt senior quarterback Chase Brice and Southern Miss senior defensive back Eric Scott Jr. also made the trip to Las Vegas.

Sun Belt standouts will also feature in the upcoming Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The Sun Belt has produced at least one selection in 15-straight NFL Drafts and has claimed multiple picks in 19-of-21 since it began sponsoring football in 2001. The Sun Belt has produced six-or-more draft picks four times in conference history, including two of the past three seasons (2010, 2012, 2020 & 2022).

Five of last year’s six draft picks appeared in multiple NFL games during the 2022-23 regular seasons, with the lone exception being App State alum D’Marco Jackson—who spent the entire season on the injured reserve.

East-West Shrine Bowl
Chase Brice, App State (RS Sr., QB – Grayson, Ga.)
Lance Boykin, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., DB – High Point, N.C.)
Michael Jefferson, Louisiana (Sr., WR – Mobile, Ala.)
Andre Jones, Louisiana (RS Sr., LB – Varnado, La.)
Eric Scott Jr., Southern Miss (Sr., DB – Basehor, Kan.)