For the overwhelming majority of FCS players, the NFL remains a distant dream, but the East-West Shrine Bowl represents something tangible. It offers a chance to compete against the best, to be seen by every scout in the league, to prove that the level of competition doesn’t define the level of talent.
These aren’t token invitations. The FCS contingent at this year’s Shrine Bowl features consensus All-Americans, conference players of the year, and athletes who drew scouts from all 32 NFL franchises to their campuses. Here are the highest graded FCS players heading into the annual all-star game.
Michael Wortham, WR, Montana
PFSN FCS WR Impact Score: 93.0
What can’t Michael Wortham do? The question became something of a refrain in Missoula during a 2025 season in which the senior shattered records and defied positional classification. Officially listed as a wide receiver, Wortham functioned as Montana’s everything guy, catching passes, returning kicks, taking handoffs, and even throwing a touchdown pass.
The result was a program-record 2,431 all-purpose yards, eclipsing Hall of Famer Marc Mariani’s 2008 mark by more than 160 yards and falling less than 90 yards shy of the all-time Big Sky record. The numbers alone are staggering: 85 receptions for 1,224 yards (second-most in school history), 345 rushing yards, and 862 combined return yards.
Yet what makes Wortham’s story so compelling extends beyond statistics. His path from Sierra College to Eastern Washington to Montana speaks to the kind of perseverance NFL teams covet. At 5’9″ and 177 pounds, he won’t overwhelm with size, but his electric playmaking ability and versatility should intrigue teams looking for a dynamic weapon.
Wortham is the first Grizzly to appear in the Shrine Bowl since Dante Olson in 2020 and the sole Big Sky representative in Frisco, a fitting capstone to a career spent proving doubters wrong.
Kaleb Proctor, DT, Southeastern Louisiana
PFSN FCS DT Impact Score: 91.6
In an era when the transfer portal has fundamentally altered college football’s landscape, Kaleb Proctor’s decision to remain at Southeastern Louisiana feels almost radical. The Oak Grove, Louisiana native could have sought a bigger stage after emerging as one of the FCS’s most disruptive interior defenders.
Instead, he bet on himself and the program that believed in him first, and the gamble paid off spectacularly.
Proctor’s 2025 campaign was nothing short of dominant. His nine sacks led the Southland Conference — remarkable production from a defensive tackle position that typically doesn’t generate those kinds of numbers. Add 13 tackles for loss, and you begin to understand why all 32 NFL franchises made their way to Hammond to evaluate him in person.
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His peers across the FCS recognized his excellence with a consensus All-American selection. Proctor finished seventh in Buck Buchanan Award voting and earned Southland Conference Player of the Year honors, joining only Cole Kelley and Bryan Bennett in program history with that distinction.
His NFL Combine invitation confirms what scouts already knew: at 6’3″ and 280 pounds, Proctor has the tools and technique to make noise at the next level.
Declan Williams, LB, Incarnate Word
PFSN FCS LB Impact Score: 86.9
The linebacker position requires a certain level of controlled chaos — the ability to diagnose plays quickly while maintaining the physicality to finish them. Declan Williams has mastered both elements during his two seasons at Incarnate Word, emerging as the Cardinals’ most reliable defensive playmaker and earning his invitation to Frisco.
Williams’ path to UIW began at Rhode Island, where he developed from a special teams contributor as a freshman into a starting linebacker who posted 48 tackles and four tackles for loss as a sophomore.
His transfer to San Antonio proved transformative. In 2024, he earned First Team All-Southland honors with 62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. His 2025 season elevated that production further, tallying 102 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and a nose for the football that resulted in five turnovers (one interception, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries).
Over his two years with the Cardinals, Williams accumulated 164 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and seven defended passes. The 6’2″, 240-pound defender from Hamilton, Texas, combines sideline-to-sideline range with the instincts that allow him to consistently find the football. If there was a play to be made for UIW’s defence, odds were Williams was involved somehow.
Jarod Washington, CB, South Carolina State
PFSN FCS CB Impact Score: 83.5
When Chennis Berry left Benedict College to take the head coaching position at South Carolina State, Jarod Washington followed. That loyalty paid dividends for both parties, as Berry led the Bulldogs to consecutive MEAC championships, and Washington developed into the conference’s most dominant defensive back and a Celebration Bowl champion.
The numbers from Washington’s 2025 season border on absurd.
The senior led the entire FCS in passes defended per game (1.83) and finished with 20 pass breakups and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. His signature moment came against Howard when he recorded a pick-six and returned a blocked field goal attempt for a touchdown in the same game.
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At 6’2″ and 188 pounds, Washington possesses the length and ball skills that translate to the next level. His recognition as MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, Walter Camp FCS All-American, and AFCA Second Team All-American validates what opposing quarterbacks learned the hard way: throwing in his direction is a losing proposition.
Washington could become the first South Carolina State alumnus selected in the NFL Draft since 2022, following in the footsteps of fellow Bulldog defensive backs like Cobie Durant.
Jalen Walthall, WR, Incarnate Word
PFSN FCS WR Impact Score: 78.2
Jalen Walthall’s recruitment story could have broken differently. The Manvel, Texas, product believes he would have landed at a Power Five programme had COVID-19 not disrupted the evaluation process during his junior year of high school. Instead, he headed to Hawaii, where limited opportunities and a coaching change led to his eventual transfer to Incarnate Word.
That detour turned into a destination. Walthall’s 2024 season at UIW was record-breaking, as he posted 1,290 receiving yards (third in the FCS) and 14 touchdowns (tied for third) on 85 catches, earning Southland Offensive Player of the Year honors and recognition as a consensus All-American.
His viral headstand touchdown celebration put him on the national radar, but his route-running precision and deep-ball ability kept scouts coming back. Standing 6’2″ and 180 pounds, Walthall possesses the size and speed that NFL teams covet in outside receivers.
His two-year stretch at UIW catching passes from former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada and current starter Richard Torres demonstrated the kind of consistent production that translates regardless of who’s throwing the football.
The Cardinals’ air raid system showcased Walthall’s ability to win at all three levels, and tomorrow’s Shrine Bowl offers one final opportunity to make his case before the draft process accelerates.
