For 100 years, the East-West Shrine Bowl has been held to raise money for Shriner's Children's Hospitals. Along the way, the game has given college all-stars the chance to showcase their abilities as they try to earn opportunities to play at the next level. On Thursday night, a trio of Clemson Tigers will partake in this annual event looking to enhance their profiles as they strive for NFL careers.
Running back Phil Mafah, safety RJ Mickens, and defensive lineman Payton Page will all be representing the Tigers in this game. Mafah will play for the West team while Mickens and Page will be on the East team meaning these college teammates will go head to head on the field.
Mafah needs to stand out because this year's class of draft-eligible running backs is absolutely loaded. Thus, he needs to have a strong showing in order for scouts to move him up their draft boards.
For his career, the Georgia native put up 2,887 rushing yards and 28 TDs in 50 games for the Tigers. In the last two years, as Clemson's lead back, he stood out rushing for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023 and 1,115 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024.
Mickens will be playing close to home in the Shrine Bowl. A native of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he is a rangy play-making safety who likely intrigues many NFL scouts given his college productivity.
While at Clemson, he was credited with 229 tackles while making seven interceptions and 15 pass breakups while also recovering a fumble. He played over 2,000 snaps in 60 college games and is one of only ten Tigers to ever play 60 or more games for the program.
Page has the size to play at the NFL level. Checking in at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, he checks the physical boxes that teams are looking for at the next level.
In 53 games at Clemson, he made 69 tackles. He also had 6.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and even a 57-yard pick-six.
The East-West Shrine Bowl will kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern. It can be seen on the NFL Network. Hopefully, these Clemson alums can stand out and take one big step toward making their professional football dreams come true.