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From draft prospects to combat veterans: American Bowl maximising opportunities in debut season
Did you know that there are approximately 71,000 NCAA college football athletes who will have become draft-eligible at the end of the 2025 season? Of that number, just 850 of them will enter the NFL, drafted or undrafted. And of that number, roughly 250 will make a final roster.
Of course, not all college stars will have ambitions to turn pro. Regardless, only approximately 1.6% of those who pursue their football dream will play a competitive down in the NFL. This outrageous imbalance between supply and scarce demand is part of the reason the pre-draft process has become an event in itself.
The minute some of these prospects hang up their collegiate cleats, the path to the draft begins. Agents, coaches, training regimens, dietary overhauls, media charm offensives, scouting combines, team interviews; the road to a football career can sometimes be determined more by the four months between December and April than a player’s whole college career.
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One modern part of this process is the All-Star game. Prospects are invited to various week-long coaching clinics across the country, usually run by NFL coaches, which culminate in a competitive game amongst their peers.
The benefit is reciprocal: prospects get to showcase their skills in front of scouts, and NFL franchises learn more about their future employees.
Most fans will be familiar with the Senior Bowl, the largest All-Star game on the circuit that attracts the cream of college talent. But there are many more who offer an opportunity for a wider catchment of prospects who dream of playing on Sundays.
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‘The third bowl’
The newest of these All-Star games is the American Bowl, which debuts on January 22nd. Played at Southeastern University, 250 NFL scouts will descend on Lakeland, Florida, approximately an hour east of Tampa, to watch over 100 draft hopefuls train and play a game of football.
Scott Phillips, Executive Director of the American Bowl, has experience with these showcase events. A scout and coach for a number of years at the Hula Bowl, he explains his thought process on branching out and creating his own All-Star game in what he described as a ‘crowded market’:
“We felt like we really wanted to do a good job and provide the players an opportunity to make it to the next level - to the NFL, the CFL, UFL - play professional football.
"Me and my own staff at the Hula Bowl felt the best way to do that would be to elevate and partner a little more with the NFL.”
The NFL knows that the draft is big business. And over the past decade, they have televised a range of showcase games on the NFL Network for fans to submerge themselves in the process - continuing to attract attention at a time in their calendar when there’s little if any football to enjoy.
One of those games was the NFLPA Bowl, which ceased operating in 2023. Phillips saw a hole in the market for a third All-Star game to be broadcast:
“There really wasn't there really wasn't a formal replacement for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. And when you look at it, if 125 players are at each game, and you have three, that’s roughly 375 players, which is about right for a rookie class.
"The Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl are established, and we wanted to take our leadership and our experience, go right to the NFL and say, hey, what would it take for us to be the third bowl in the circuit?”
Fighting for a chance
The NFL was receptive, encouraging, but clear; it was on Phillips and his team to meet the challenges of organising such an event if they were to be affiliated with it. A daunting task, but a crucial one if the American Bowl was going to achieve the standard Phillips had envisioned:
“I've coached in All-Star games that I don't even put on my resume. Just two years ago, I was with one, and there were only two scouts there from the entire NFL. And they were calling it an All-Star game. And I scratched my head and said, how can that be?
"These guys aren't getting any exposure at all. There's no stream, there's no film, and the practices aren't well run. If we were doing this, we were going to do it right, make a good experience for the kids and try to make sure they have opportunities to get to the league.”
All-Star games aren’t typically cash cows. Phillips explains he has an army of staff, most of whom are volunteers, and he is fortunate enough not to need a cheque himself from this endeavour, because there won’t be one. Finances dictate how you approach and run an event like this. It can also determine who attends.
Intrigued to know how the American Bowl will differentiate itself from the other All-Star games, Phillips doesn’t force a narrative. And it’s easy to see why; the goal for all of them is ultimately the same. But as a former coach in the MAC with two different schools, it’s obvious this game will target undervalued talent:
“What you're looking at for a viable, consistent third All-Star game is the back half of the draft and the immediate hours after it. I call them ‘top of the eighth round’ picks; the guys who are getting the phone calls as soon as day three is over and teams are fighting over them.
"The ones who have the talent, but have not necessarily had the exposure or the opportunity. As a scout, that’s a passion - finding those diamonds in the rough and letting them shine.”
This isn’t just hyperbole when it comes to Scott Phillips. Last year, wide receiver Gage Larvadain went undrafted after a lack of snaps as a senior with South Carolina. Despite pushback, Phillips invited Larvadain to the Hula Bowl, where he impressed. The Cleveland Browns gave him a shot, and he played every game this season as the team’s primary punt returner.
On Thursday, over 100 prospects will hope to impress scouts in a similar way. As with any of these events, the game itself is merely the celebration of a week of work. The real value is on the training field and in meeting rooms, a little bit of spotlight for those who, for whatever reason, haven’t enjoyed enough of it at college.
Soldiers to Sidelines
Those hurdles the NFL laid out before Phillips and his team, one by one, were cleared. The staff is in place, and the rosters are named. Major brands such as Geico have been named as sponsors. And a who’s who of NFL coaches have been named for both teams, with Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick leading ‘the Warhawks’ and 2008 NFL Coach of the Year Mike Smith leading ‘the Guardians’.
All these endeavours have paid off. The game will be broadcast on NFL Network, with Mike Morgan and Brian Baldinger leading the commentary. It’s an impressive achievement and sure to be a great occasion for the prospects competing and the millions of draftniks watching around the world. But there is something much more impressive about the American Bowl.
Each All-Star Game supports various charities or non-profit organisations. The Senior Bowl promotes the city of Mobile's arts and music community. The East-West game supports Shriners Hospitals. For Phillips and Director of Football Chris Covyeau, their game was destined to give back to those who have sacrificed the most for their country:
“Chris and I, we both felt a significant and sincere tie to the military, and knew we wanted to give an opportunity to closer connect the veteran community to the game. And through doing that, we found what might be one of the greatest organisations that we could have run into called Soldiers to Sidelines.”
Led by Harrison Bernstein, Soldiers to Sidelines supports former military members in becoming football coaches in their communities, helping them to transition to civilian careers in coaching, strength and conditioning, and athletic administration and operations. Phillips & Covyeau were immediately sold on a partnership:
“We will have 12 soldier coaches on our sidelines throughout the week. Harrison helped handpick great coaches that are transitioning into full-time coaching careers. And they will be working with the NFL coaches as position assistants so that they can get exposure and a seat at the table.
"We have a couple that are leading an entire position group, a couple that are supporting; Roger Wright-Lester is going to be coaching DBs with Carnell Lake from the Pittsburgh Steelers. So you've got someone with 20 years of military service and someone with 20 years coaching and playing in the NFL, and partnered them together so that they can really help give them an opportunity.”
Game on
Such a noble cause makes me almost forget the primary objective of the American Bowl, but the partnership is so obviously perfect, it’s incredible that no bowl game has considered it before. Leadership, work ethic, and poise under pressure; the transferable skills made Soldiers to Sidelines the perfect choice for Phillips.
Opportunity on the sidelines meets opportunity between them, so perhaps this is the unique selling point that I was looking for. Both on and off the field, the American Bowl looks set up for success. Now, it’s time for the draft prospects to take this chance and ball out in front of the watching world on January 22nd.
Twisting Phillips’ arm for some of his favourite names in his inaugural class, I’m reliably informed you should keep an eye out for cornerback Ayden Garns (Arizona) and receiver Ty Montgomery (John Carroll), with special praise reserved for Missouri State running back Shomari Lawrence.
Regardless of who shines, Phillips and his staff will have achieved their objective - helping talent achieve a dream of playing professional football, whilst promoting and supporting an incredible cause:
“Whether the Warhawks or the Guardians win this game, really, is irrelevant. We'll prep it up like it matters, but it really doesn't. What matters is that we give our guys the best opportunity to shine in ways that are meaningful for them so that they can have amazing careers.”
Try telling that to Coach Billick and Coach Smith. Beginning at 8pm Eastern time, UK viewers can tune in to the American Bowl via NFL Game Pass on DAZN at 1am on Friday, 23rd January, to see the stars of tomorrow.
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