Jamon Dumas-Johnson will play in Shrine Bowl on Thursday night

Draft season is off and running. While Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker were at the Senior Bowl this week, another Kentucky defensive player was in the Metroplex at the other big draft showcase event. After a week of practice at the University of North Texas football facility, Jamon Dumas-Johnson will take the field at AT&T Stadium for the East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday.

NFL Network will have the broadcast of the game beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson was a multi-year starter in the SEC who spent three seasons at Georgia before transferring to Kentucky in 2024. The former blue-chip recruit earned All-American honors as a first-year starter in 2022. In his only season in Lexington, Dumas-Johnson recorded 67 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 577 defensive snaps over 11 games.

The class of 2021 signee leaves college football having played 1,686 defensive snaps over 49 games with 35 career starts. The DMV native recorded 192 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six pass breakups, and two interceptions during his SEC career.

Odds are high that Jamon Dumas-Johnson will be Kentucky’s third draft pick after Walker and Hairston likely come off the board on Day 2 at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. Former Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary used the Shrine Bowl last season to help him secure a draft spot in the sixth round. Dumas–Johnson is looking to do something similar. The off-ball linebacker transfer was a good starter in his one-and-done stint at Kentucky and has now started his professional football journey.

A big step in that process occurred this week in the Lonestar State.

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