Alabama Roots: 2024 Reeseâs Senior Bowl
Three former Mobile high school football stars have returned to the Port City for the 75th Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday.
Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, Auburn cornerback D.J. James and Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson grew up with Mobile’s annual all-star game. Abrams-Draine and James prepped across the Causeway at Spanish Fort High School, and Johnson went to Davidson High School.
And there’s another 2024 all-star who, in a way, grew up with the Senior Bowl – South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley. While Bradley played his high school football at Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida, before joining the Jaguars after four seasons at Toledo, his father, Gus Bradley, served as a head coach at the Senior Bowl in 2014, 2015 and 2016 when he also led the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I put enough pressure on myself,” Johnson said of being on the doorstep of joining the line of Coastal Alabama football standouts to reach the NFL. “I feel like it’s more pressure from me. I’m not getting pressure from my parents or anything. It’s always been a dream.”
The four 2024 Senior Bowlers with Mobile connections are among the 18 all-stars chosen for this year’s game who played at Alabama high schools or colleges. In addition to Abrams-Draine, Bradley, James and Johnson, the Senior Bowl players with Alabama football roots include:
· UCF wide receiver Javon Baker (who played at Alabama in the 2020 and 2021 seasons)
· Alabama defensive lineman Chris Braswell
· Miami (Fla.) guard Javion Cohen (Central High School in Phenix City, who played at Alabama in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons)
· Alabama defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe
· Auburn defensive lineman Marcus Harris (Park Crossing High School)
· Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson (who played at Alabama in the 2021 and 2022 seasons)
· Georgia long snapper William Mote (Spain Park High School)
· Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (Pinson Valley High School, who played at Auburn in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons)
· Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson High School)
· Alabama kicker Will Reichard (Hoover High School)
· Auburn safety Jaylin Simpson
· Troy defensive end Javon Solomon
· Troy running back Kimani Vidal
· Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville High School)
On the National team for Saturday’s game are Baker, Jackson, Nix, Solomon and Vidal.
On the American team are Abrams-Draine, Bradley, Braswell, Cohen, Eboigbe, Harris, James, Johnson, Mote, Pritchett, Reichard, Simpson and Watson.
The Alabama connections don’t stop with the players.
New York Giants quarterback coach Shea Tierney is serving as the National team’s offensive coordinator. He worked as an offensive analyst with the Alabama program in 2016 and 2017.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks off at noon CST Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. NFL Network will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.