Welcome to the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl! Football’s preeminent All-Star game is set to give us another exciting event-filled week. We start off with open practices Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM CT at the University of South Alabama. Thursday night offers a unique opportunity to attend the Senior Bowl Summit in downtown Mobile, where each year they bring in former college and NFL personalities to sit down and talk about their experiences.

This year has a special emphasis on the Alabama and Auburn players with former Seahawk running back Shaun Alexander, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, and Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome, along with several others speaking. Then we shift gears on Friday night with the Senior Bowl Mardi Gras Parade and Block Party Concert. The players get to take part in one of the oldest traditions on the Gulf Coast: throwing beads, moon pies, and other goodies to a crowd, many of whom are attending their first Mardi Gras parade. Immediately following the parade is a free concert where Hip-Hop artist Nelly will be performing. And of course, Saturday afternoon is the main event, 1:30 PM kickoff! 

History of the Senior Bowl

The inaugural game was played in Jacksonville, FL at the Gator Bowl in 1950. The following year it shifted to the rapidly growing port city of Mobile, Alabama where it still is played today. The city of Mobile offered a more centralized location than the East Coast, as well as a brand-new venue with the newly constructed Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium (now named Ladd-Peebles Stadium). The game spent the next 69 at this location, and over time became embedded in the Mobile culture. 

To many locals, the Senior Bowl is one final weekend of tailgating and college football before the Mardi Gras season gets into full swing. To football-obsessed people like myself, it’s a unique opportunity to see the many different players and personalities that attend each year. Sure it’s great that Alabama and Auburn’s teams are always well-represented, but what really makes it special is getting to be around the players you don’t watch on a weekly basis.

Things like getting to meet Heisman winner Carson Palmer as a kid back in 2003, hanging out with 2011 Senior Bowl MVP Christian Ponder during the post-game, or being on the end zone fence in 2015 when David Johnson scampers for the first touchdown of the game. Regardless of the year, Senior Bowl week always seems to produce some great memories!

The Modern Game Week

Today, the game week seems to have a slightly different feel. The explosion of smaller online media outlets, heavy emphasis on player evaluations, and the ever-increasing interest in fantasy football have caused practice viewership to be in high demand. Following the 2020 game, it was announced that the Senior Bowl would shift across town to the newly built Hancock-Whitney Stadium, home of the South Alabama Jaguars, which has proven to be the perfect setup for the open practices.

The West side of the stadium, including the suites and media booth, is reserved for NFL teams and their personnel who are not actively on the field. The East side is open to the public, with a covered terrace area for media outlets to host live podcasts or reports from. Regardless of where you sit all the drills and scrimmage are easy to watch. The University also has a covered practice field for use in case of inclement weather. 

For those of you that enjoy player evaluation, these open practices offer the perfect opportunity. Last year we saw Green Bay wide receiver Christian Watson dominate all three days of practice, particularly in the 1-on-1 drills. It was easy to see that his rare combination of size, speed, and athleticism was going to cause matchup problems at the next level. Washington running back Brian Robinson was consistently one of the best players on the field and showed a knack for pass-blocking. Houston running back Dameon Pierce looked like the best runner out of the group. He looked quick and explosive, and as a 49ers scout said to me, “He runs with a naturally low pad level”. 

Who to Watch for this Year

The position that stands out to me the most this year is the RB group. Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez Jr has been extremely explosive throughout his career in the SEC. Chase Brown of Illinois ranked 4th in CFB with 1,643 rushing yards. Eric Gray bounced back from a rough 2021 season at Oklahoma. And Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh has proven to be a consistent running back in both the running and passing game. The back I’m most excited to see is Tulane’s Tyjae Spears, who ended the year as hot as any player in CFB.

The quarterback position is highlighted by Heisman runner-up Max Duggan from TCU. Fresno State’s Jake Haener is a quality passer and has been on NFL scouts’ watchlists for a couple of seasons. Additionally, the most interesting name of the group is Tyson Bagent of D-II Shepherd University, who set the record for most career touchdown passes at all levels in NCAA football. 

The wide receiver group this year is full of middle-round talent. Name’s like Ole Miss’s Jonathan Mingo, Iowa St’s Xavier Hutchinson, and SMU’s Rashee Rice can all solidify their projected Day 2 draft status. Andrei Iosivas of Princeton is a very interesting prospect as well. Measuring in at 6’3 200 pounds, he is an All-American Heptathlon track athlete who is looking to run a sub 4.3 and is already drawing comparisons to Christian Watson. Finally, I’d be wrong not to mention South Alabama’s Jalen Wayne, nephew of Colt’s legend Reggie Wayne, who will be the second Jaguar wide receiver in two years to play in the Senior Bowl. 

Both offensive and defensive lines are bringing plenty of talent this year. There will likely be multiple Day 2 draft picks out of the offensive tackles and edge rushers, and I’m excited to see the 1-on-1 drills between the positions. Finally, there are also some solid defensive back prospects who should test these wide receivers out. Full team rosters can be found here. 

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2023 Senior Bowl Schedule

Tuesday, January 31st

11:30 am – 1:30 pm (NATIONAL)

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (AMERICAN)

Wednesday, February 1st

11:30 am – 1:30 pm (NATIONAL)

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (AMERICAN)

Thursday, February 2nd

11:30 am – 1:30 pm (NATIONAL)

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (AMERICAN)

6:00 – 7:30 pm (Summit)

Friday, February 3rd

6:30 – 8:00 pm (Mardi Gras Parade)

8:00 pm (Concert/Block Party)

Senior Bowl Game: Saturday, February 4th @ 1:30 PM

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