10 Iowa football players named to Shrine Bowl 1000 list

The annual East-West Shrine Bowl is a great opportunity for players across the country from all levels to showcase their skills to NFL talent evaluators, in the hopes of being drafted or signed.

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:

• Gennings Dunker
• Aaron Graves
• Mark Gronowksi
• TJ Hall
• Ethan Hurkett
• Logan Jones
• Max Llewellyn
• Xavier Nwankpa
• Beau Stephens
• Kaden Wetjen

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.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: 10 Iowa football players named to Shrine Bowl 1000 list