The Chicago Bears just received a major advantage in terms of getting some early scouting done on some major prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It was revealed on Wednesday that Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower will serve as the head coach for the East team during the East-West Shrine Bowl.
The game will take place on February 1st in Frisco, Texas at the The Ford Center located in the Dallas Cowboys’ team facility. The game will feature more than 120 notable draft prospects, including a few notable underclassmen.
The game will be a major point of emphasis for the Bears to get a close look at some of the top prospects while also giving Hightower an opportunity to show what he can do as a head coach himself.
Hightower has served as the Bears special teams coordinator on head coach Matt Eberflus’ staff since 2022. Prior to joining the Bears, Hightower served in the same position on Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-2021. He has 16 years of NFL coaching experience under his belt and will finally get his opportunity to lead a full team of his own in the coming weeks.
Hightower will be coaching against New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka who has created some major buzz for himself over the past few days. Kafka has already interviewed for the Tennessee Titans head coach position and also will soon be interviewing for the Seattle Seahawks head coaching position.
Last season, the East-West Shrine Bowl was coached by the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The game will be broadcasted on NFL Network on Thursday, February 1st, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
When revealing the roster for this year’s game, Shrine Bowl director of football operations and player personnel Eric Galko discussed how important this game can be for the prospects and the various teams in the NFL.
“We’re very excited to announce this year’s roster, and to see who will be the next Brock Purdy, Zay Flowers or Isiah Pacheco to come out of the East-West Shrine Bowl,” Galko said. “We’re looking forward to hosting a record number of NFL scouts, executives, coaches and general managers to join us at The Star for Shrine Bowl week, to see our players in action and to have these all-stars play in support of Shriners Children’s.”
Top prospects participating in the game this season currently includes quarterbacks Devin Leary and Kedon Slovis, running back Frank Gore Jr., wide receiver Malik Washington and possibly Ja’Tavion Sanders, along with a few notable defensive prospects such as cornerback Renardo Green and edge Zion Tupuola-Fetui.
It’ll be a big opportunity for the Bears front office, scouts, and coaches to get an early look at some of these potential top prospects in action.
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