Notre Dame LB James Onwualu accepts invite to East-West Shrine Game

Notre Dame senior linebacker James Onwualu has accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game, Jan. 21 in at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The game, and the practices leading up to it, serve as a showcase for college seniors with NFL aspirations and is generally considered as the second tier among the postseason all-star games behind the Senior Bowl.

Last January Irish wide receiver Chris Brown, defensive end Romeo Okwara and safety Elijah Shumate participated in the game and were coached by former ND head coach Charlie Weis in that contest.

More than 100 players from last year’s game signed with professional teams last spring, and more than 70 made final NFL rosters.

Onwualu was ND’s third-leading tackler in 2016 with 75, a team-leading 11.5 of which were tackles for loss. He had three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.