Owls Place Three on Shrine Bowl Preseason List
7/14/2022 3:20:00 PM | Football
98th game to be played in Las Vegas on February 2, 2023
Ikenna Enechukwu, George Nyakwol and Bradley Rozner are on the initial list of prospects identified as candidates for the 98th East-West Shrine Bowl football game which will be held on February 2, 2023 in Las Vegas.
Enechukwu was named to Phil Steele's preseason All-Conference USA first team after posting a career-high 48 tackles last season, 4.5 sacks while starting all 12 games (nine at tackle and three at defensive end). He was the team leader with 20 quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus and was second with 32 total pressures and eight quarterback hits.
Nyakwol returns for a sixth year of eligibility after missing most of last season. He was among the team leaders with two interceptions and 25 tackles before he was sidelined. He was a third-team preseason all-conference selection by Phil Steele this year.
Rozner enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2019, earning second-team all-conference honors by Phil Steele after catching 55 passes for 777 yards and five touchdowns. He returned to the starting lineup in the opener at Arkansas last fall after missing the 2020 season, but was injured in the third quarter after catching a pair of passes for 30 yards and was lost for the rest of the season.
All three will be looking to become the first Owl to play in the game since Jack Fox in 2019. A total of 29 Owls have played in the game, dating back to 1936 when John Sylvester and Bill Wallace were members of the West squad. The last seven Owls to play in the game (Jarett Dillard, Cheta Ozougwu, Phillip Gaines, Bryce Callahan, Jordan Taylor and Fox) all went on to reach the NFL.
Enechukwu was named to Phil Steele's preseason All-Conference USA first team after posting a career-high 48 tackles last season, 4.5 sacks while starting all 12 games (nine at tackle and three at defensive end). He was the team leader with 20 quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus and was second with 32 total pressures and eight quarterback hits.
Nyakwol returns for a sixth year of eligibility after missing most of last season. He was among the team leaders with two interceptions and 25 tackles before he was sidelined. He was a third-team preseason all-conference selection by Phil Steele this year.
Rozner enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2019, earning second-team all-conference honors by Phil Steele after catching 55 passes for 777 yards and five touchdowns. He returned to the starting lineup in the opener at Arkansas last fall after missing the 2020 season, but was injured in the third quarter after catching a pair of passes for 30 yards and was lost for the rest of the season.
All three will be looking to become the first Owl to play in the game since Jack Fox in 2019. A total of 29 Owls have played in the game, dating back to 1936 when John Sylvester and Bill Wallace were members of the West squad. The last seven Owls to play in the game (Jarett Dillard, Cheta Ozougwu, Phillip Gaines, Bryce Callahan, Jordan Taylor and Fox) all went on to reach the NFL.