Football
7/28/2025 10:07:00 AM
Gregg Petcoff
Story Links
Shrine Bowl Official Release
TAMPA, Fla. Western Colorado All-American defensive end Ricky Freymond was announced as a member of the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 Watchlist, as reported by Riley Bymaster, the Bowl’s College Scouting Director, on Monday, July 28.
The Shrine Bowl will be played on January 27, 2026, at the Ford Center at The Star, a 12,000-seat stadium located in Frisco, Texas. The two teams are led by coaching staffs from among current NFL assistant coaches whose teams do not advance into the NFL postseason.
The Bowl’s website describes its eventual team selections and event as, “An invitation to take part in the annual East-West Shrine Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the best senior collegiate football all-stars in the country to showcase their talents in front of top representatives of NFL teams. A strong performance in the game greatly impacts a player’s chances of a career in the NFL. Many of professional football’s most recognized and decorated players, including Tom Brady, Darren Waller and John Elway, played in the East-West Shrine Bowl.”
Freymond’s inclusion on the Watchlist, which shows just 10 NCAA Division II players, is no surprise as he enters his final season with the Mountaineers.
In the 2024 postseason he was named to four first-team Division II All-American teams – the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Don Hansen Small College All-American team, and the inaugural DII Walter Camp All-American squad.
In addition to being one of 14 DII finalists for the Cliff Harris Award, Freymond was a first-team defensive selection in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) while also being named the RMAC’s and the D2CCA Super Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year.
Not only did he excel on the field in 2024, but Freymond was also voted an RMAC All-Academic first-team selection, was named a College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District® student-athlete, and advanced to the ballot and was voted a CSC DII Football Academic All-American®.
Freymond, Western’s career sack leader with 24.5, led DII in tackles for loss (24.5) last season and was second in total sacks (12.0) as he helped Western to its first 11-win season in program history and first playoff victory since becoming an NCAA DII member in 1992.
The Mountaineers will look to advance past the second round in 2025, opening their season with a home game against West Texas A&M on Thursday, August 28 at Mojo Field at the Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex.