ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Navy senior snipe Eli Heidenreich has been invited to the East-West Shrine All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised live on the NFL Network at 7:00 PM ET, 6:00 PM CT.
Heidenreich is the 35th Navy football player to be selected to the game and the first since linebacker Diego Fagot in 2021, who earned defensive MVP honors. Heidenreich is the first Navy player from the offensive side of the ball to be selected since Malcolm Perry in 2019 and the first non-quarterback since wide receiver Brandon Turner in 2012.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation. An important part of America's football tradition, the event gives top college players a chance to showcase their talents to NFL scouts and a national television audience.
For more than 90 years, some of football's greatest athletes and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl. Players like Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, John Elway, Gale Sayers and Jimmy Garoppolo played in the East-West Shrine Bowl along with coaches Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, Paul "Bear" Bryant and Jerry Glanville, to name a few, have supported the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Heidenreich has rushed for 943 yards and seven touchdowns in his career, while catching 83 passes for 1,560 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 14-career receiving touchdowns are the most in school history.
Heidenreich's 1,560 career receiving yards are the third most in school history. He is 66 yards away from second-place Jamir Tillman and 176 yards from record holder Rob Taylor.
Heidenreich had a career-high eight catches for a school-record 243 yards and a school-record tying three touchdown catches in Navy's win over Air Force. He is the first Navy player in school history to surpass 200 yards receiving in a game.
Heidenreich is eighth in the FBS in yards per reception, averaging 20.3 yards per catch. He is ranked as the best running back in the FBS with a grade of 91.8 and his receiving grade of 93.1 is the best of any running back or wide receiver.
Navy (7-0, 5-0 in the American), off to a 7-0 start for the first time since 1978, will try and move to 8-0 for the first time since 1926 when they travel to Denton, Texas to take on the Mean Green of North Texas (7-1, 3-1) in a game that will kick at 12 noon ET, 11:00 AM CT on ESPN2 and the Navy Radio Network.
A win for Navy, ranked No. 25 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, would be a school record 11th-straight win dating back to last year.
