ARIZONA WILDCATS FOOTBALL

Arizona’s Croskey-Merritt named offensive MVP, ASU’s Shamari Simmons stands out at Shrine Bowl

Jan 31, 2025, 10:47 AM | Updated: 11:56 am

It took him a few carries to get into a rhythm, but once he did, former Arizona Wildcats running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt turned heads at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday night.

Croskey-Merritt went for five yards on his first two carries before breaking away for a 27-yard scamper for his longest run of the night.

He ended the collegiate showcase with 97 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries — scoring the first touchdown of the game on a six-yard shotgun pitch to the right. He went on to earn offensive MVP honors for the game as West won, 25-0.

Croskey-Merritt was named one of five East-West Shrine Bowl standouts by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter and made CBS Sports’ list of top performers.

“It’s a blessing just to be up here,” Croskey-Merritt said in his postgame interview. “I wanna thank God first, thank my coaches for just teaching us the small details of the game, man. I’m just excited. It’s amazing, we all came here for one reason and just to show scouts that we can do this and just happy for one another. We were like that all weekend, just practicing, and it was all good to see those guys excited.”

Croskey-Merritt began the season embattled with an eligibility probe after he opened the year with a 106-yard showing against New Mexico. He entered 2024 as a sixth-year senior, using the COVID-19 extension for his fifth season at New Mexico and a traditional redshirt as his sixth season.

The eligibility issues that the NCAA investigated pertained to Croskey-Merritt’s freshman season at Alabama State, where he was listed as a redshirt freshman but might have played in eight games, double the limit of four to be able to be redshirted, CBS Sports’ Matt Zentiz reported last season.

Croskey-Merritt missed the rest of the season following the probe. He totaled 13 carries, 106 yards on the ground and one touchdown in his one showing for Arizona.

Croskey-Merritt is not currently listed on any major NFL Draft big boards or mock drafts.

Shamari Simmons at the East-West Shrine Bowl

Former Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Shamari Simmons was listed as an honorable mention for NFL.com’s and CBS Sports’ standout lists.

Simmons made some practice highlights in the week leading up to the game, including an interception on Sunday.

In the lead up to the Shrine Bowl, Simmons told Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot that ASU wide receivers coach Hines Ward has played a key role in prep for the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite being on the offensive side of the coaching staff, Ward imparted some of his wisdom to Simmons as he starts the NFL Draft process.

“He was just a great person to be around, just down to Earth,” Simmons said. “And just being around him. I asked him a lot of questions, just what it’s like in the NFL. What I need to be prepared for. He’s just being straightforward, straight up and down with me. Really just helping me throughout this journey.”

Simmons totaled 73 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one interception for the Sun Devils last season.

He spent two seasons with ASU, starting 25 games and was named the team MVP in 2023 and the Defensive MVP last season. He made an impact at the Peach Bowl against Texas with a safety early in the second half.

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