2026 Panini Senior Bowl brings top athletes with regional ties to Gulf Coast

MOBILE, Al. (WXXV) — The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl brought the nation’s top college football players to Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile in what’s considered to be the first step in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Players showed out for NFL scouts and fans, representing their respective universities on the American and National teams. The American team would go on to win the game 17-9 behind an MVP-worthy performance by LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Many athletes who competed throughout the week also had local and regional ties. Harrison Wallace III and Wydett Williams Jr. represented Ole Miss throughout the week of practices, and Starkville native Luke Altmyer took the field as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks out of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, athletes like Boston College defensive lineman Que Hutchins performed in their home state for the first time in years.

WXXV News 25’s Elizabeth Keen caught up with some of these players following the game.