The 96th annual East-West Shrine Bowl will not feature the game that was initially scheduled for Jan. 23, but the country's oldest college all-star experience is finding another way to impact draft-eligible players.

Christian Jones

When the game was canceled because of COVID-19 challenges, its organizers joined forces with the NFL to create the East-West Shrine Bowl Professional Development Opportunity. The program has been designed to continue growing the game through the development of personnel who will work with players on virtual training/informational drills.

Nick Rallis

NFL Network and the East-West Shrine Bowl on Friday announced NFL coaches that will participate. This year's list includes three Vikings assistants: offensive quality control coaches Christian Jones and AC Patterson; and defensive quality control/assistant linebackers coach Nick Rallis.

Some of the participating players also will join virtual experiences with Shriners Hospitals for Children® patients, continuing the game's long-standing commitment to the hospitals and proving that the East-West Shrine Bowl is still "more than just a game."