The East-West Shrine Bowl has named three FAU football players to their 2025 watch list.
Like the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine Bowl provides college football players the opportunity to practice and play in front of NFL personnel. Prior to the start of the college football season, the Shrine Bowl releases a watch list of 1,000 draft eligible players who are deemed talented enough to partake in the event. The Shrine Bowl released their watch list for this season, and three FAU football players made the cut.
Kahzir Brown, CB
One of the FAU players mentioned on the Shrine Bowl watch list this season is cornerback Kahzir Brown. Brown transferred to FAU from Maine, and brings a physical presence to the Owls’ secondary.
Last season, Brown secured 61 tackles, leading the Black Bears defense. He also led the team with seven pass breakups, and had multiple turnovers. On top of that, Brown has shown an innate ability to block kicks, completely changing the dynamic for his team.
At 6-feet 3-inches and 210 pounds, “Buggs” is a lengthy defensive back and a true playmaker. His dedication to film study has paid off; and entering 2024, Brown could see a breakout season in the FAU defense.
Chisom Ifeanyi, EDGE
Chisom Ifeanyi joins the FAU defense as a graduate transfer from Shippensburg University, a Division II football program. Ifeanyi’s first two seasons as a college athlete were uneventful, with 2019 being his redshirt year and 2020 being cancelled due to Covid-19. On top of that, his 2022 season was cut short after two games due to injury. However, Ifeanyi has shown interesting potential in two healthy seasons with Shippensburg.
In 2021, Ifeanyi appeared in every game for the Raiders. He played the entire season at defensive end, and secured 16 tackles with 2.5 sacks. However, the 2023 season was the most impressive from the 6-foot 4-inch, 240 pound prospect.
In 2023, Ifeanyi totaled 6.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick, and one interception. That production showed the versatility of Ifeanyi, and took his talents to play for FAU in 2024. Considering his lack of football experience in Division I, it was surprising to see the Shrine Bowl place the FAU prospect on their watch list. However, it speaks to his athleticism and potential that he was given the nod by the committee.
Federico Maranges, Center
Center Federico Maranges has proven to be reliable for Florida Atlantic. He’s been a starter on the FAU football team since his redshirt freshman season in 2020. From there, he’s proven to be a consistent player along the Owls’ offensive line. Last season, Maranges was named as a team captain. Heading into 2024, the Columbus product will like to put a stamp on his final season in college football. And so far, he’s already on a good start.
Along with being named to the East-West Shrine Bowl watch list, Maranges has secured two other preseason nominations entering the 2024 season. The Owls’ center was named to the Phil Steele All-AAC First Team as well as the Athlon All-AAC Second Team. And if he’s able to put together another productive season, there’s a good chance Maranges finds himself moving onto a NFL career as well.
The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl (100th anniversary) takes place on January 29, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
