Who won the East-West Shrine Bowl? Looking at key players and more

The East-West Shrine Bowl was held at AT&T Stadium on Thursday evening, with the East blowing out the West 25-0. It was the 100th iteration of the annual game, which gives NFL teams a chance to scout the talent that will be available during the draft and has had a host of famous prospects participate, including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

The East led the game 22-0 at halftime and closed out the encounter while holding the West to no score in the second half. It was the first shutout of the contest since 1969.

The story of the 2025 Shrine Bowl

The East, coached by the Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Marquise Williams, reversed a losing trend of seven of the last eight games to win the 2025 iteration against the West, coached by New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

The East forced five turnovers, including four sacks and seven hits on the quarterback. Missouri quarterback Brady Cook was the starter under center for the West, while North Dakota QB Cam Miller started for the East.

Shrine Bowl Offensive & Defensive MVPs

Arizona Wildcats running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt won the Offensive MVP of the Shrine Bowl after tallying 97 rushing yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. He broke down his thoughts about the game during the trophy presentation.

"It's a blessing just to be up here," Croskey-Merritt said. "I wanna thank God first, thank my coaches for just teaching us the small details of the game. I'm just excited. It's amazing, we all came here for one reason and just to show scouts that we can do this and just happy for one another.

"We were like that all weekend, just practicing, and it was all good to see those guys excited."

South Carolina Gamecocks cornerback O'Donnell Fortune was named the Defensive MVP after registering one tackle, two passes defended and a 66-yard pick-six.

During the trophy presentation for winning the defensive MVP, Fortune revealed his thought process when he intercepted the ball and managed a pick-six.

"It feels great, but I just wanna give it to God," Fortune said. "Without him, none of this is possible. I just wanna give out to the Shrine Bowl and showcase my talent. The end zone, that's all I saw when I caught the ball."

The Shrine Bowl's Defensive and Offensive MVPs, O'Donnell Fortune and Jacory Croskey-Merritt, showcased their talents in front of a gallery of NFL executives ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.