Northwestern Seniors Earn Postseason All-Star Game Invitations

Gavin Dorsey

Nov 3, 2025, 16:23

Gavin Dorsey

Nov 3, 2025, 16:23

Updated at: Nov 3, 2025, 16:23

Two Wildcat stars will have the opportunity to showcase their talents to NFL Draft scouts in January.

The Wildcats are 5-3 this football season, and a large part of that has been due to the team's success in the trenches.

Northwestern's offensive line has helped produce the Big Ten's No. 5 rushing offense while allowing the fifth-fewest sacks in the passing game. On the other side of the ball, the 'Cats boast the No. 13 scoring defense and No. 19 total defense in the FBS.

Those two units are led by a pair of stars in graduate left tackle Caleb Tiernan and redshirt-junior edge rusher Anto Saka. Both will very likely have the opportunity to play football professionally once they leave Evanston, and the two are now slated to take on some of the nation's best in January.

On Sunday, Tiernan and Saka were officially invited to compete in the East-West Shrine Bowl — a postseason All-Star Game where the top college seniors show off their talents for NFL scouts. The game will be held on January 27, 2026, in Frisco, Texas.

Head coach David Braun broke the news of the invitations following Northwestern's team practice.

"This is a team that's focused on us," Braun said in a video posted on social media. "It's not a bunch of individuals that are worried about themselves. It's a bunch of individuals who have committed to doing something really special together."

Tiernan has played in 47 games over his five seasons in purple, starting his last 33 at left tackle. He was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2024 and has been one of the best tackles in the country during his redshirt-senior campaign. According to Pro Football Focus, Tiernan's 87.2 pass-blocking grade this fall ranks No. 6 among FBS tackles, and he's allowed just one sack and six pressures on 255 such snaps.

Saka received plenty of buzz this offseason as a potential early-round draft pick, and after a slow statistical start, he's put up numbers of late. The 255-pound defensive lineman has posted three sacks and a forced fumble over his last four games, and Saka's pass-rush win rate of 18.1% ranks third among qualified Big Ten edge rushers.

Northwestern has not had a player participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl since defensive lineman Joe Gaziano in 2020. The 'Cats could now be represented by two if Saka joins Tiernan in the NFL Draft process.

Northwestern Seniors Earn Postseason All-Star Game Invitations