The oldest college football all-star game — the Shrine Bowl — is set to kick off on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. CT. This year’s 99th edition of the game will be taking place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, with some of the best players around the country playing.
This is an opportunity for players to show off their skills in a game environment one last time before the NFL Draft. Of the players participating in the game, who is the fastest player?
Fastest Players at 2024 Shrine Bowl
Zebra Technologies is working with the Shrine Bowl this year as they will be tracking real-time metrics on specific details for a player. Some of what they are tracking includes speed in miles per hour, 40 times, max acceleration (yards per second squared), and distance traveled.
Let’s take a look at the top five players and how fast they went on Day 1 of practice.
5) Daequan Hardy, Penn State (20.44 MPH)
Daequan Hardy stepped up as one of Penn State’s top cornerbacks during the 2023 season, registering 22 tackles, seven pass deflections, one sack, and two interceptions. What played a big role in his successful senior season was on special teams, returning two punts for touchdowns last year.
Hardy impressed during Day 1 in practice, showing off his speed right off the bat. He recorded the fifth-fastest time at the Shrine Bowl at 20.44 miles per hour. That’s the speed NFL scouts will want to see as they not only look at him for defense but on special teams as well.
4) Mark Perry, TCU (20.53 MPH)
The hard-hitting safety out of TCU Mark Perry has been a focal point for the secondary for the Horned Frogs over the last two seasons. He finished 2023 with 58 tackles, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble during the year.
During practice, Perry had the fourth-highest speed with 20.53 miles per hour. He also traveled the sixth-most yards of any player there with a distance of 4,366 yards.
3) Tyler Owens, Texas Tech (20.54 MPH)
After not getting much playing time with the Texas Longhorns, defensive back Tyler Owens got his shot to play with the Texas Tech Red Raiders the last two years. His 2023 season was the best of his career, registering 37 tackles and two pass deflections.
Owens finished third in speed with 20.54 mph in practice. He also had a max acceleration of 4.06 yards per second squared.
2) Myles Harden, South Dakota (20.84 MPH)
Another DB on this list, but Myles Harden is the only one in the top five who did not attend an FBS school. He played at South Dakota over the last four years, with 2022 and 2023 being his breakout seasons. Harden finished 2023 with a career-high 46 tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception.
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He came close to the top speed of any player at practice with 20.84 miles per hour, missing the mark by .01. Harden finished in the top five in distance traveled with 3,729 yards on Day 1.
1) Ryan Watts, Texas (20.85 MPH)
Topping the list is Texas Longhorns defensive back Ryan Watts, who found playing time in 2022 and 2023 after spending his first two seasons at Ohio State. Watts racked up 38 tackles and three pass deflections in his final year in college in 2023.
Nobody at practice was faster in practice than Watts who finished first with a speed of 20.85 mph. He traveled the 10th-most yards during practice with 3,961. His 28 explosive efforts were tied for ninth among players at practice.
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