
10 Iowa football players named to Shrine Bowl 1000 list
Every offseason, before the ball kicks off and a new season of college football commences, the Shrine Bowl puts together a list of 1000 college football players from around the nation who they think could have success at the NFL level. The official Shrine Bowl page describes the process a bit more easily.
Every year, approximately 1000 all-star game eligible players are drafted, signed after the draft, or attend a rookie mini-camp. Our aim is for this Shrine Bowl 1000 to serve as a look into our scouting process, as well as begin to preview college players who are currently all-star game eligible for the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2026 NFL Draft class.
Putting together this list was extremely challenging for our team, as we scouted players from all four levels of football and consulted with NFL and college personnel to ensure the selection of the best 1000 players for the NFL level.
It's a great honor to be named to the preseason Shrine Bowl 1000, as it's a sign that some talent evaluators view you as a potential NFL player. And ten current Iowa football players found their way onto the list.
Which Hawkeyes made the Shrine Bowl 1000 list?
The 10 Hawkeyes named to the list, all seniors, of course, are as follows:
It's a great sign for so many veterans on the roster to be recognized by the Shrine Bowl. Players like Dunker, Jones, Hurkett, and Wetjen have received a lot of praise this offseason, but it's nice to see Stephens, Hall, and Llewellyn receive some flowers as well. They're very underrated players who will be huge parts of the Hawkeye football team this season.
The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is on January 27, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. The annual game is available to watch every year, and Hawkeye fans should get the chance to see at least one, if not numerous, Hawkeyes take the field for the Shrine Bowl next year.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Root for the team but love the laundry
Full disclosure: My wife is a diehard, lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys. No one's perfect. Navigating life means learning to accept one's obvious flaws and, truth be told, that's a pretty big one. Good thing she's got an amazing personality. It almost makes up for all that other stuff. If you grew up in Santa Fe in the way-back times of the '70s, '80s and early '90s, it usually meant you were a fan of one of the following: Cowboys (gross), Broncos (meh), Steelers (sure, I guess), Rams (take it leave it) or 49ers (bandwagoners). Very few people back in the day gave two sniffs about anyone else. There were some Bears fans, maybe a few Dolphins loyalists here and there. But the Washington Commanders née Redskins? Not many. My origin story comes from the days when one of my neighbors was a classmate of Joe Theismann at Notre Dame. By then, Theismann was settling in as the full-time starter at QB in Washington and the neighbor was more a fan of him, not the team. Being the impressionable young lad I was, it was the aesthetics that drew me in. Simply put, I was (and am) a uniform nerd. Washington's color scheme and game-day look was so far removed from the Cowboys and Broncos that it felt retro cool to like a team that was just ... different. The duds they adopted in 1979 stuck around for more than 30 years, and the general look remained in place for more than four decades. To appreciate that kind of consistency one must look no further than the almighty wise man, Jerry Seinfeld. 'Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify because the players are always changing. The team could move to another city,' he once said. 'You're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it, you know what I mean? You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city.' Couldn't have said it better myself. You revere the team but you absolutely love the laundry — unless you have a truly horrible look (yeah you, Titans, Seahawks and Falcons; fight me). All this to say Wednesday was a great day for us Washington fans. For the first time since the calamitous 2022 rebrand that brought us the horrific beveled number fonts, boring designs and nightmarish black alternates, the Commanders (still not prepared to adopt that name yet) unveiled alternative uniforms for the upcoming season. Wednesday's announcement came with little fanfare. ESPN didn't break into programming, The Athletic didn't release a photo spread and The Associated Press didn't explode with breaking news stories on the wire. Trust me, I looked. The team's social media platform dropped teases in recent days, giving hope that maybe the team would bring back the beloved spear logo used for five seasons in the '60s, or some version of the one-off retro kit worn in 2003. What we got was so much better. By stepping into the past and bringing back the classic unis worn during the peak years — the 'Super Bowl Era Threads' as the team calls them — it made the cringy and admittedly painful transition from Redskins to Washington Football Team to Commanders easier to take. From the piping on the pants and the stripes on the socks to the yellow facemasks and collegiate block number fonts on the jerseys (minus the ridiculous beveled look), it felt like staring at the Mrs. on our wedding day all over again. At long last, someone in Washington had the good sense to hold onto history without managing to offend anyone. Go ahead and leave the old name behind. We get it; it's offensive and will never come back. Just leave us the laundry and allow us to once again love the clothes that defined a generation. After last season's run to the NFC Championship and the potential of a return to D.C. at the site of the old RFK Stadium, getting our laundry back is a great step in the right direction. Seinfeld was right all along.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dallin Holker retires from football
Dallin Holker announced Tuesday that he is retiring from the game of football. The former Lehi High, BYU and Colorado State star tight end, who spent his rookie season with the New Orleans Saints, made the announcement on social media Tuesday, the same day the Saints reported to training camp for the 2025 season. 'I can't thank God enough for the opportunity to live out my dream. I'm incredibly grateful for my amazing wife and family — your love and support have meant everything throughout this journey,' Holker said in a statement shared on X. 'After a lot of prayer and conversations with my family and representatives, I've decided to retire from football.' 'I want to thank the New Orleans Saints, Colorado State, BYU and Lehi High School for believing in me and giving me the chance to chase a dream I've had since I was a kid.' The 25-year-old Holker played in 12 games with two starts as a rookie in New Orleans after signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent. He finished the 2024 season with three receptions for 21 yards. Holker was a standout at the high school level, finishing his time at Lehi with 202 receptions for 3,061 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was named the 2017 Deseret News 5A MVP. He signed with BYU as a three-star tight end prospect and played for the Cougars for three seasons from 2018 to 2022, with a two-year church mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in between. He left on his mission following his freshman year at BYU. Holker ended up with 42 receptions for 521 yards and three touchdowns during his time in Provo. He ended up transferring to Colorado State, which helped Holker land on the NFL radar. In his one season playing for the Rams, Holker was a unanimous second-team All-American after finishing the 2023 season with 64 receptions for 767 yards and six touchdowns. 'Over the past 15 years, football has given me unforgettable memories and lifelong relationships with teammates and coaches — things I'll always hold close,' Holker said on X. 'Football will always be a part of me, but I'm excited to see what this next chapter holds.'
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Browns roster, offseason: ‘Criminally underrated' heading into training camp
The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting offseason with a few splashy moves (extending DE Myles Garrett, trading out of the second overall pick, and drafting QB Shedeur Sanders after a huge drop in the NFL draft). Beyond those moves, the Browns biggest decision may have been to let RB Nick Chubb go in free agency. With a big question at quarterback and coming off of a paltry three-win season, expectations around the Cleveland team are pretty low. The roster hasn't had huge changes, although a change in offensive philosophy should help, with the defense seemingly needed to carry the squad to victories. Noting the Garrett extension, adding Sanders and picking up an extra first-round pick in 2026, Sam Monson believes strongly in what Browns GM Andrew Berry pulled off this offseason around the most important positions: In the end, much like how much Sashi Brown's time in Cleveland was celebrated by Pro Football Focus (where Monson and co-host Steve Palazzolo recently departed), outcomes on the field are far more important than analysis of what could be. If the Browns find a quality starter in Sanders, Garrett stays engaged as the top player in the NFL and the extra first rounder becomes an impact player (along with DT Mason Graham), Berry's moves this offseason will deserve lauding. Hearing Monson, do you think it was a good offseason in Cleveland or is the analyst just being too positive about Berry and company? Share your thoughts below in our comment section More from ESPN drops some news about the Browns' quarterback situation NFL picks and predictions for Week 2 Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (9/16/16) Browns' Color Rush uniforms unveiled, but Cleveland won't get to wear them in 2016 Film Study: Browns' only TD drive vs. Eagles Film Study: Browns' 1st three offensive series vs. Eagles - All 3-and-outs, with a botched fake Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (9/15/16)