The Shrine Bowl lists 1,000 all-star game players who are all eligible for the East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2026 NFL Draft Class.
Lance Leipold's squad stacked the list with seven nominations. On offense lie quarterback Jalon Daniels, wideout Bryson Canty, running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., and offensive lineman Bryce Foster. The defense found end Dean Miller, corner DJ Graham II, and linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr.
Let's start with the offense first. Daniels, Canty, Hishaw, and Foster are all players who will make a big impact heading into next season.
The talent is unmistakable with Daniels. While last season his level at times slipped, his 2022-23 form is very much recoverable. Those numbers will be improved upon with the impact of Canty. The transfer of the former Columbia wideout could be a massive help to this wideout core. At Columbia, last season, Canty led the Lions with 43 receptions for 760 yards and nine touchdowns, which ranked in the top 20 of FCS for the regular season. At Columbia, Canty appeared in 29 games, making 108 receptions for 1,661 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Hishaw has been a mainstay for Kansas in his time as a Jayhawk. Last season, he tallied 376 yards on 65 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush for three touchdowns. The 2024-25 season was a step down from his 2023-24 production, where on 121 carries Hishaw tallied 626 yards and bruised for eight touchdowns.
Lastly, we must talk about the brute Foster. Weighing in at 310 pounds at a tall 6-foot-5. Heading into this season, Foster was awarded Preseason All-Big 12 Team, Athlon Preseason All-Big 12 First Team, Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 First Team, all touting him as one of the best offensive linemen in the country. The former Texas A&M Aggie helped lead an offensive front where Kansas ran for 211.4 yards and allowed just 10 sacks last Fall.
Moving over to the defensive side, to start, Miller is set to lead an aggressive front under new defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald.
Last season, Miller ate six sacks along with 32 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. For a defense that is seeing not only restructuring in the coaching booth, but also on the field. Miller is bound to be a consistent force to reckon with.
Graham will be an eye in the sky for McDonald next season as he fills in a key secondary spot at cornerback. The former Sooner quietly impressed last season with Utah State, as Graham marked 42 tackles, two interceptions, and an exceptional three forced fumbles.
Sipp, the Bowling Green State University transfer, compiled 79 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups on the season. The previous year, Sipp managed 73 tackles, with zero sacks, showing his pass-rushing ability has greatly improved.
With a number of transfers joining this core, there will be questions about how they will all sync, which is a task for Leipold to manage, but with the consistency provided by Miller, Foster, Hishaw, and Daniels, the other should be able to quickly get up to speed.