University of Minnesota Duluth football sixth-year tackle Aiden Williams has been invited to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl that will take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Williams becomes the third-ever Bulldog to be invited to the heralded game (and second in three seasons), following in the footsteps of offensive lineman Brent Laing in 2023, and offensive guard Garth Heikkinen in 2012. Williams was named to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 in July, an early watchlist for the annual all-star game featuring the nation's best NFL Draft prospects. The Anchorage, Alaska native was also named to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist and D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List in August.

This season, Williams has helped lead the Northern Intercollegiate Sun Conference's second-best rushing offense to a 193.8 yards a game and has provided coverage for the league's highest scoring offense – UMD is currently averaging 33.8 points a game. Williams also scored his first-ever college touchdown on Sept. 28th against Southwest Minnesota State University – a 11-yard rushing score.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation, and the event gives top college players a chance to showcase their talents to NFL scouts and a national television audience. For more than 90 years, some of football's greatest athletes and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl. Fans can watch live on NFL Network, or experience the action in-person on game day.

Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Bowl has also benefited Shriners Children's and its mission to provide excellent specialty care for children. This unique health care system provides excellent care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families' ability to pay for services. This game helps raise the profile of Shriners Children, and allows the organization to continue to offer hope and healing and reach more kids in more places. 

For more information on the Shrine Bowl, click here.