13 Cardinals Named to East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 13 members of the Louisville football program were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List, it was announced Tuesday.

Quarterback Miller Moss, wide receivers Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy, offensive linemen Pete Nygra and Makylan Pounders, defensive tackles Rene Konga and Denzel Lowry, edge rusher Clev Lubin, linebackers Stanquan Clark and Antonio Watts, cornerback Rodney Johnson Jr., and safeties Corey Gordon Jr. and D'Angelo Hutchinson all made the list.

With approximately 1000 players getting drafted, signed as a UDFA or attending a rookie mini-camp in each cycle, The Shrine Bowl 1000 is an annual preseason watch list of the top eligible players for that upcoming year's East-West Shrine Bowl and NFL Draft class.

Moss comes to Louisville from USC, where he spent the first four years of his collegiate career. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal caller started the first nine games of the year, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions. However, he was benched for the final three games of the year.

Bell has made steady improvements each year in college, and is coming off of a career year. Starting all 13 games in 2024, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound outside receiver caught 43 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were second on the team to Ja'Corey Brooks.

Lacy played just five games last season due to a collarbone injury and midseason opt-out to preserve his redshirt. he caught 18 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, and five kick returns for 191 yards - including a 100-yard return for a touchdown against Miami. During the 2023 season with South Alabama, he caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns, with the receptions mark good for fifth in the FBS and the yardage mark coming in at sixth.

Nygra was an anchor in the middle of the Cardinals' offensive line, and one of the top centers in ACC. Starting all 13 games, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman allowed just one sack and 16 total pressure across 475 pass block snaps and 848 blocking snaps overall. His 71.1 offensive grade on PFF was the fourth-highest among centers in the ACC, and 20th among all offensive linemen in the league (min. 100 snaps).

Pounders played just one season at Mississippi State after starting his career at Memphis. In his lone season with the Bulldogs, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound left tackle played in 11 games while making seven starts, and allowed just three sacks and 19 total pressures over 334 pass block snaps and 574 total blocking snaps.

Transferring over from Rutgers last offseason, Konga was a surprisingly impactful force in the middle of the line. While a midseason injury limited his efficiency down the stretch, he still collected 20 tackles (12 solo), as well as three for loss and 2.5 sacks. His 76.0 defensive grade on PFF ranked eighth among ACC defensive tackles (min. 250 snaps).

Lowry, an Old Dominion transfer, has started in every one of the Monarchs' last 25 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, earning All-Sun Belt honorable mentions in both years. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 280-pound nose tackle compiled 51 total tackles (12 solo), three for loss, and 1.5 sacks. The year before, he finished with 46 tackles (37 solo), five for loss, 3.0 sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

This past season, Lubin - a transfer from Coastal Carolina - was the Chanticleers' top pass rusher, and one of the top defenders in the Sun Belt. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound edge rusher's 12.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks not only led the team, but were fourth and third, respectively, in the conference. He also collected 44 total tackles (24 solo), three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

After playing a key role in the linebacker rotation as a true freshman in 2023, Clark had a breakout 2024 season. Starting all 13 games, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound inside backer's 76 overall tackles and eight tackles for loss were both second on the team to T.J. Quinn. Not to mention he also caught two interceptions, forced two fumbles, and tallied two pass breakups.

Watts took over as the starter at STAR for the 2024 season, and put together a career year in his new role. Starting all 13 games, the linebacker/safety hybrid collected 51 total tackles (31 solo), seven for loss, four pass breakups and one forced fumble.

Spending the last three years at Southern after spending his true freshman campaign at Stephen F. Austin, Johnson is coming off of his best season in college. Playing in 12 games while starting 11, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound corner/safety logged 43 tackles (23 solo), 6.0 for loss, five pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. He earned a Second-Team All-SWAC nod from Phil Steele for his efforts.

Gordon was one of the top defensive backs for a Baylor team who had a bounce-back season. Playing in all 12 games of the regular season while starting the final three, the 6-foot-2, 191-pound safety logged 34 tackles (25 solo), two for loss, two pass breakups, while also snagging a team-best three interceptions.

While Hutchinson was not a starter last season, he had a breakout 2024 campaign. Coming off the bench in all 13 games, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety finished with 52 tackles (29 solo), two for loss and three pass breakups.

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