TAMPA, Fla. — A pair of University of South Dakota football players have been named to the East-West Shrine Bowl preseason watch list heading into the 2024 campaign. Seniors Nick Gaes and JJ Galbreath enter the season on the 1,000-player watch list.
 
Gaes (Sr., Alta, Iowa) enters 2024 and the watch list after a career-best in tackles last season, recording 42 which sat top-10 on the team. He also posted 10 tackles for loss, which tied a career-best mark that was also achieved in 2021. He sat second on the team last year with his six sacks.
 
In his USD career, Gaes has seen action in 35 games and has notched 111 total tackles (49 solo). He's been disruptive in the opponent's backfield, recording 22.5 tackles for loss (131 yards) and 14 career sacks (113 yards). Twice – in 2021 and 2023 – he recorded multiple sacks, with his best year being 2021 with seven sacks. He also enters the 2024 season as a First Team All-MVFC preseason selection.
 
A 2023 MVFC Honorable Mention All-Conference performer last season, Galbreath (Sr., Arvada, Colo.) hauled in a career-best 36 catches for 579 yards last season, with both sitting second-best on the team. 2023 proved to be a breakout season for the Colorado native, setting career bests in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The receiving yards mark sat 15^th in the MVFC, while the five touchdown grabs sat in a four-way tie for 10^th in the league.
 
In his Coyote career, Galbreath sits just shy of 1,000 career receiving yards (886 yards) with eight touchdowns on 61 receptions. He also enters the 2024 campaign as a preseason First Team All-MVFC selection.
 
ABOUT THE EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the nation's longest-running college all-star football game. It gives top college football players a chance to showcase their talent to NFL scouts and a national television audience.
 
The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl will be Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. (CT) at A&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be nationally televised on the NFL Network.