For Louisville wide receiver Caullin Lacy and Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter, the Panini Senior Bowl will be a homecoming game.
Lacy was an All-State running back at Faith Academy in 2019, and Hunter won the Class 6A Lineman of the Year Award at Blount High School in 2020.
The two Port City stars are among the 16 players with Alabama football roots on the all-star rosters for the Jan. 31 contest at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
Hunter earned second-team All-American recognition from The Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America for his performance for the Red Raiders in 2025. After making 20 tackles for loss for Blount in 2020, Hunter spent a redshirt season at Auburn without playing, played three seasons with UCF and finished his college career with 10.5 tackles for loss for the Red Raiders in 2025.
“I kid around with him,” said Drew Fabianich, the Senior Bowl’s executive director, on Friday. “I said he’s kind of got a little bit of that sexy fat man in him because he’s more than just a two-down nose. He’s got some three-technique traits. … He can run for a big man. Now, I mean, he surprises people. He tracks guys for being that big.”
In his second season at Louisville, Lacy was the ACC’s top punt returner with an 18.2-yard average and two touchdowns on 25 returns. He also had 60 receptions for 635 yards and two touchdowns as a wide receiver to earn finalist status for the Paul Hornung Award, presented annually to the nation’s most versatile player.
Lacy ran for 1,842 yards as a senior at Faith, but he transitioned to wide receiver at South Alabama. He had 207 receptions for 2,517 yards and 13 touchdowns in three seasons with the Jaguars, including a Sun Belt-best 1,316 receiving yards in 2023.
“Great return value,” Fabianich said. “He’s got to show people he can play inside and outside here, which I think he can, and I hope within training he gains some weight and runs well at the (NFL Scouting) Combine, because this is going to be big for him.”
The Senior Bowl rosters for the American and National teams include six other players from Alabama high schools:
Boston College defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins from Bessemer City High School
Alabama defensive tackle Tim Keenan III from Ramsay High School in Birmingham
Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker from Central High School in Phenix City
Ole Miss wide receiver Harrison Wallace III from Pike Road High School
Texas A&M linebacker Scooby Williams from Ramsay High School
Auburn guard Jeremy Wright from Selma High School
Parker was among the players that Fabianich expected to raise their profiles during Senior Bowl Week, along with Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, Stephen F. Austin cornerback Charles Demmings and Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson.
“I think you’ll see what TJ Parker was a year ago,” Fabianich said. “His tape wasn’t very good this year. I think you’ll see what he was. I think he’ll elevate himself back into the first round.”
Keenam is among the five Alabama alumni at the 2026 Senior Bowl, along with:
Center Parker Brailsford
Tight end Joshua Cuevas
Running back Jam Miller
Defensive lineman LT Overton
Wright is joined by outside linebacker Keyron Crawford as Auburn’s representatives at this year’s Senior Bowl.
Three other 2026 Senior Bowlers played for one of the Iron Bowl rivals but come to Mobile from other schools:
LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson (Alabama)
SMU defensive tackle Jeffrey M’ba (Auburn)
Miami (Fla.) cornerback Keionte Scott (Auburn)
Fabianich is hoping all those players hear their names called at the 91st NFL Draft on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
“I want this game to become where 100 percent of the participants are drafted,” Fabianich said. “That’s what I want, because that’s the selling point — not we had 10 first-rounders or we had 42 in the first 55. I can sell to every agent around the country: Everybody comes here gets drafted – everybody. That’s my vision. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m shooting for.”
The rosters include Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, a unanimous All-American who won the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and the Lombardi Award as the nation’s best lineman in 2025.
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