Monmouth University Football running back Jaden Shirden has been invited to compete in the East-West Shrine Bowl, announced Jan. 12.
Considered the nation’s oldest college football all-star game, the 99th annual East-West Shrine Bowl will take place Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Frisco, Texas, at the Ford Center at the Star, the worldwide headquarters and training facility for the Dallas Cowboys. The game will be televised nationally on NFL Network.
Shirden, the two-time CAA Offensive Player of the Year, finished the 2023 regular season as the nation’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season. Entering the year at seventh on Monmouth’s all-time rushing yardage list, Shirden’s 1,478 yards on the ground in 2023 saw him rise to third, and his 10 touchdowns on the season brought him into the program’s top-10. The junior notched seven 100+ rushing yard games including two games eclipsing the 250 mark.
Shirden’s biggest game came at home on Oct. 14 against Hampton where he ran for 276 yards and scored a career-best four touchdowns – including a 63-yard score and 72-yard score – on 16 carries. Two weeks later at No. 24/22 William & Mary, the West Haven, CT native ran for two touchdowns while notching 251 yards on 21 carries.
Shirden, who finished third in the Walter Payton Award voting, announced he was declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft via Instagram on Dec. 4, 2023.