Five FCS standouts accept 2026 Shrine Bowl invites, showcasing pro potential

Five FCS players with clear pro attributes accepted invites to the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl, a critical audition that will put their 2025 production under NFL evaluators' microscopes in Frisco, Texas. The class includes a disruptive interior pass rusher, a pair of productive wide receivers, a turnover-hungry cornerback and a true multiuse playmaker whose special teams work vaulted him into draft conversations.

Defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor of Southeastern Louisiana headline numbers among the group. Proctor finished 2025 with a team-high 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks, earning first-team All-Southland honors and conference Player of the Year. Proctor projects as an interior rusher for the West roster and will wear number 48. Proctor’s ability to win inside leverage and create second-level disruption gives scouts a clear role profile: early-down run defense with upside as a pass rush specialist on third downs.

Incarnate Word pairs made the trip to Frisco. Wide receiver Jalen Walthall brings proven production, with a 1,290-yard season in 2024 followed by 847 yards in 2025, including multiple 100-yard games and a 220-yard outing versus UTRGV. Walthall will line up for the East wearing number 36. Linebacker Declan Williams, also on the East roster at number 40, led UIW with 102 tackles in 2025 and posted 13 tackles for loss across his career at UIW and Rhode Island, along with multiple forced and recovered turnovers. Williams offers scouts a three-down linebacker profile with sideline-to-sideline range and a demonstrated nose for turnovers.

South Carolina State’s Jarod Washington joins the East as a cornerback wearing number 12 after a pivotal role in SC State’s HBCU national title run. Washington totaled 21 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2025, a stat line that underscores press-man competence and ball skills that translate directly to special teams and nickel packages at the next level.

Montana’s Michael Wortham will suit up for the East in number 88 after an eye-popping 2025 that set a program record with 2,431 all-purpose yards. Wortham accumulated 1,224 receiving yards, 345 rushing yards and 862 return yards while scoring 18 total touchdowns. Wortham’s combination of receiving, rushing and return production frames him as a day-one special teams contributor with potential to expand into a possession and gadget-role receiver.

These invites highlight an ongoing industry trend: NFL evaluators increasingly value multi-dimensional skill sets and high-efficiency production from FCS and HBCU programs. Interior pass rushers like Proctor are scouted for their third-down disruption, while return specialists and hybrid offensive weapons like Wortham can parlay special-teams value into early roster spots. Washington’s HBCU title pedigree reinforces the growing attention on championship-level competition outside Power Five programs.

For fans and scouts, the Shrine Bowl week in Frisco will offer direct tape against varied competition and controlled-situation measurement. Kaleb Proctor, Jalen Walthall, Declan Williams, Jarod Washington and Michael Wortham each arrive with distinct marketable traits; their performances in practice and the game could shift late-round and undrafted free agent conversations. The next step is clear: watch Shrine Bowl practice week and game-day snaps to see which FCS names turn statistical resumes into professional opportunities.