MOBILE, Ala. — The Panini Senior Bowl has released its Senior Bowl 300, the initial watch list of players scouts and officials with the all-star game are considering for the 2027 edition — and at least one player with deep local roots is on it.
Alabama wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, the former Saraland standout and two-time Mr. Football selection, appears on the list. He is entering his junior season, but if he graduates and enters the NFL draft after this season, he would be eligible to play in the game.
The 2027 Senior Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 30 at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Who Is Represented
Seventy-three schools have at least one player on the Senior Bowl 300.
Ohio State leads with 15. Texas A&M has 13. Texas and Georgia have 12 each. Every SEC team is represented, with Alabama placing eight players and Auburn four.
South Alabama does not have a player on the list, though two Sun Belt Conference teams are represented: Troy, by punter Evan Crenshaw, and new member Louisiana Tech.
The only other team from the state of Alabama with a player on the list is Jacksonville State, represented by cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans.
Selected School Representation
- Southern Cal, 8
- Georgia, 12 — QB Gunner Stockton
- LSU, 9 — S Ty Benefield
- Michigan, 10 — RB Jordan Marshall
- Notre Dame, 9 — LB DJ McKinney
- Ohio State, 15 — WR Jeremiah Smith, QB Julian Sayin
- Oklahoma, 9 — QB John Mateer
- Ole Miss, 8 — WR Deuce Alexander, QB Trinidad Chambliss
- Oregon, 9 — OLB Matayo Uiagalelei
- Penn State, 9 — LB Tony Rojas
- Texas, 12 — QB Arch Manning, WR Cam Coleman
- Texas A&M, 13 — DE TK Searcy
- Texas Tech, 9 — QB Brendan Sorsby
Twenty-Four Quarterbacks
The list includes 24 quarterbacks, among them Texas’ Arch Manning, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby and Auburn’s Byrum Brown.
What the Senior Bowl 300 Actually Is
It is worth being clear about what this list represents, because watch lists get read as something more definitive than they are.
The Senior Bowl 300 is an initial watch list, compiled before the season, of players the game’s scouting staff will be evaluating. Being on it does not constitute an invitation. Players will play their way onto and off of it over the course of the fall, and the final roster is assembled from a considerably narrower set of names.
The eligibility mechanics also matter. The Senior Bowl is for players who have exhausted college eligibility or are otherwise draft-eligible. That is why Coleman-Williams’ inclusion carries a conditional — he is entering his junior season, and his participation depends on his graduating and entering the draft after this year.
Why the Game Matters in Mobile
The Senior Bowl has been played in Mobile for decades, and it occupies an unusual position among all-star games.
Unlike exhibitions that function primarily as showcases, the Senior Bowl operates as an extended job interview. NFL coaching staffs run the practices. Every general manager, scout and personnel executive in the league is in town for the week. The practices are the point — players are evaluated in position drills and one-on-ones by the people who will decide where they are drafted.
Players have moved substantially up and down draft boards on the strength of a Senior Bowl week, and the game has a long record of producing NFL starters and Pro Bowl selections.
For Mobile, the week represents one of the region’s significant annual events, filling hotels and restaurants with league personnel, media and fans during a period that would otherwise be quiet. Hosting it at Hancock Whitney Stadium, South Alabama’s on-campus facility, has given the game a modern venue.
A Saraland Product on the List
Coleman-Williams’ presence connects the list directly to local high school football.
Two-time Mr. Football selection is an unusual distinction — Alabama’s top individual high school football honor, won twice by the same player. Saraland has produced a string of significant college prospects in recent years, and its program has been among the most prominent in the Mobile area.
A player who came through a local program and could return to play in Mobile in an all-star game is exactly the arc the Senior Bowl’s local audience follows.
USSU Women’s Soccer Beats a Division I Opponent
In other area news, the United States Sports University women’s soccer team made history last weekend with a 5-2 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff — the first win in school history over an NCAA Division I opponent, and the first match any USSU athletic team has played against a Division I program.
Hailey Gatica opened the scoring for the Eagles on an assist from Katherine Solis. Arkansas-Pine Bluff answered with goals from Nevaeh McIntosh and Dallas Rosby, the second coming in the 51st minute to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Ansley Warner tied it in the 56th minute and put the Eagles ahead 3-2 in the 68th. Avery Salter and freshman Kiara Pulgarin added later goals.
Freshman Addison Martin made five saves in her debut. Solis finished with a career-high three assists. USSU took 24 shots, 13 on goal.
Beating a Division I program in the first attempt any team from the school has made against that level is a genuine milestone, and the manner of it — coming from behind after conceding the lead in the second half — makes it more so.
South Alabama Basketball Books the Coastal Classic
South Alabama men’s basketball will face Loyola Marymount in the Coastal Classic on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The neutral-site game gives the Jaguars a chance to play at the venue that will host the 2027 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament. It is also the first meeting between the two programs in more than two decades.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to play in the Coastal Classic,” South Alabama head coach Richie Riley said. “Being able to play at the Pensacola Bay Center gives our guys a chance to compete at our conference tournament venue against a very good opponent. It should also be a fun opportunity for our fans to make the short trip over to Pensacola and support us.”
The scheduling logic is sound. Familiarity with a tournament venue — sightlines, rims, locker rooms, the feel of the building — is a small advantage, but conference tournaments are decided by small advantages.
South Alabama is coming off a 21-win season in 2025-26 that included the program’s first postseason appearance since 2007, with the Jaguars earning an NIT berth after a 21-10 regular season.
Game time will be announced later.