Cal Cornerback Paco Austin Accepts Invite to East-West Shrine Bowl

Cal cornerback Paco Austin has been selected to play in the 101st East-West Shrine Bowl post-collegiate all-star game.

The Shrine Game, co-sponsored by the NFLPA, will be played on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The NFL Network will televise the game, beginning at 4 p.m. PT.

Cornerbacks Nohl Williams and Marcus Harris, safety Craig Woodson and linebacker Teddye Buchanan of Cal played in the game a year ago and all landed spots on NFL rosters this fall.

Two former Cal players, tight end Jack Endries of Texas and J. Michael Sturdivant of Florida, will also play in the game.

Austin, a native of San Bernardino who transferred to Cal from South Florida this season, paired with Hezekiah Masses to form one of the most productive cornerback tandems in the ACC.

A 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, Austin had 42 tackles and 13 pass breakups, which tied Masses and four other players for second most in FBS. His six PBUs vs. Virginia were the most by any player nationally this season.

Austin also had two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery on the way to being named a third-team All-ACC selection by the league’s coaches.

At USF in 2024, Austin had 48 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He played his first two seasons at James Madison, where he had an 81-yard pick-six interception as a sophomore against UConn.

Endries, who declared for the NFL earlier this week, had 33 receptions for 346 yards and three touchdowns with Texas and quarterback Arch Manning.

At Cal in 2024, Endries was former Bears’ quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s favorite target, catching 56 passes for 623 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was the first tight end to lead Cal in receptions since David Lewis in 1982.

Originally a walk-on at Cal, Endries had three-year career totals of 124 catches for 1,376 yards and seven touchdowns.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has ranked the East Bay product as the fourth-best tight end prospect in the 2026 NFL draft.

Sturdivant, who came to Cal as a consensus four-star prospect out of Highland Village, Texas, played the 2021 and ’22 seasons at Cal. He caught 65 passes for 755 yards and seven TDs, all of them as a redshirt freshman. He transferred to UCLA, where he had 58 receptions in two seasons, then played this past fall at Florida, catching 27 passes for 406 yards and three TDs.

Sturdivant finished his college career with 150 receptions for 2,073 yards and 16 TDs.

Quarterbacks playing in the Shrine Game include a pair from the ACC, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King.

One of the most intriguing prospects is UConn’s Joe Fagnano, who completed 69 percent of his passes this season for 3,448 yards with 28 touchdowns and just one interception.

Despite those numbers, Fagnano is not highly rated by most scouts and would benefit from a big week at Frisco, Texas.

The Shrine Game can be important to prospective NFL players in large part because of practice sessions leading to the game. Events attended by pro scouts begin with a throwing session on Jan. 22, with full team practices scheduled for Jan. 23-26.

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