11 SEC Players Will Face Off in 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl

The 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl recognizes some of the top college football players across the country, and this year, 11 SEC players will be suiting up to play.

The 97th edition of the Shrine Bowl will take place beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. It will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada-- home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Arkansas leads the way with two SEC players taking part in the Shrine Bowl, but a total of 10 SEC programs will be represented this year.

Before the game is set to kick off, here are the talented athletes who will represent the SEC and where they fall on the roster.

East Offense/Special Teams

K Parker White, South Carolina: Redshirt senior Parker White has been an outstanding special teams player for the Gamecocks this season. Through 12 games played, he made 16 of his 17 field goals and was a perfect 30-for-30 on extra-point attempts. His season-long field goal was from 54 yards out against Kentucky.

OL Myron Cunningham, Arkansas: Cunningham was a crucial part of Arkansas' run game this season. Thanks to his blocking ability, he allowed the Razorbacks to rush for a total of 2,961 yards-- the seventh-best total in the entire nation.

East Defense

LB Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M: This Aggie was a sack and tackle-for-loss machine, to say the least. Johnson accounted for nine tackles-for-losses and forced opposing offenses to lose a total of 58 yards. His statistics for sacks were nearly identical: he recorded eight sacks for a loss of 57 total yards.

DB Montaric Brown, Arkansas: Brown was among the best of all Razorback defenders this year, and he played a huge role against opposing wide receivers. He finished the 2021 season with 54 total tackles, 11 passes defended and five interceptions-- four of which came against talented SEC programs.

DL Marquan McCall, Kentucky: McCall might have missed four games mid-season with an injury, but he didn't let that stop him. The 6-foot-3, 379-pound athlete had nine total tackles and 3.5 tackles-for-losses.

DL LaBryan Ray, Alabama: Despite missing the first two games of the season, Ray bounced back and was able to compete in the remaining 13 games for the Crimson Tide-- including in the national championship game against Georgia. The redshirt senior finished his 2021 campaign with 11 total tackles, and he had one sack for a loss of seven yards against New Mexico State.

West Offense

OL Jean Delance, Florida: Delance is one of two SEC offensive linemen set to take the stage for the West team. The transfer from Texas started 12 games as a right tackle and was part of a Gators offensive line that gave up only five sacks on the season.

OL Austin Deculus, LSU: Like his rival-turned-teammate Delance, Deculus will be representing the West as an offensive lineman. The graduate student played in a program-record 61 games during his time at LSU and was a four-year starter for the Tigers. This season, Deculus played a total of 829 snaps, including 74 in LSU's Senior Night victory over Texas A&M.

West Defense

LB Zakoby McClain, Auburn: McClain had an outstanding 2021 season for the Tigers. The senior linebacker finished with 95 total tackles-- including 15 in the team's win over Arkansas on Oct. 16. He also recorded both of his two sacks of the season against Ole Miss.

LB Chance Campbell, Ole Miss: The Rebels had a talented offense this season, but Campbell was one of the unsung heroes of the team's defense. Through 13 games played, he accounted for a whopping 109 tackles with six sacks and 12.5 tackles-for-losses. Campbell also had three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

DL Matthew Butler, Tennessee: Rounding out all SEC players in the 2022 Shrine Bowl is Butler. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound athlete led all Tennessee defensive linemen with 47 tackles and had five sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Butler was among the top 10 SEC defensive linemen in rush defense.