There were many risers from the 99th annual East-West Shrine Bowl, but perhaps the biggest riser among them was Tulane DB Jarius Monroe.
Monroe helped lead the West team to a 26-11 victory over the East, picking off Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed in the fourth quarter to all but seal the victory. Monroe was awarded the Defensive MVP award for his efforts in the game.
But to understand just how good of a week Jarius Monroe had, we need to start before the game. Monroe, who played cornerback throughout college, got some interesting news upon arriving in Frisco.
“When I first got here, they told me the night before I first practiced, I was playing safety.” Monroe shared. “I didn’t expect that, but I was ready for the challenge because I’ve always known that I could play any position on the back end. So that’s probably the only thing that I was kind of shocked about.”
Despite playing an unexpected position at practice, Monroe was one of the standouts from the jump. He brought a vocal energy that few others did and was someone that others were resonating with throughout the week.
“It’s really just a part of me.” Monroe said of his vocal leadership. “I’m a very outgoing person. I like to just be myself around people and just bring positive energy. So a lot of guys gravitate towards it and a lot of guys respect it. So, just me being myself, that’s kind of where that communication comes from and how it’s so easy for me.”
It seemed like Monroe was always talking at practice, whether it be to his fellow defensive backs, the coaches, or the receiver he was matched up against. If you overheard a voice in the building, you could be pretty sure it was Jarius Monroe’s.
However, what was surprising to me is that none of that seemed to be trash talk, which is pretty common for defensive backs. Even with the receivers, everything was very respectful. I asked Monroe about what he was saying when in these one-on-one matchups against wideouts.
“It’s more of, ‘I’m coming back at you I’m coming at you bro’.” Monroe shared. “Knock him down and pick him back up: ‘Good rep, you’re not gonna catch a ball on me today though.’ More of that type of talk and not really just trashing a guy, cursing a guy out, just being derogatory to a guy. I don’t like being like that. I like to actually get to know the person, have them respect me by the end of the game.”
Monroe wasn’t only leading by voice at practice however, he was also leading by literal action, as he always seemed to be flying around the field.
And the stats back this up. Zebra Technologies had player tracking at these practices, and over the three non-walkthrough days, Jarius Monroe had traveled over 13,000 yards, more than any other player at the Shrine Bowl.
“If you go look at my numbers [in college], we worked on Catapult.” Monroe said. “I always had the highest numbers, always had the highest yards. Sometimes I would hit crazy numbers on the miles per hour and that’s just always been me. I love to fly around. I love having energy like that. I feel like it’s a big part of my game.”
Speaking of Tulane, Monroe didn’t start his college career there. He was at Nichols State for three years before transferring to Tulane before the start of the 2022 season. The team was coming off a 2-10 record in 2021,
“A lot of people thought I was crazy for going there, but I watched a lot of games and I knew that was a team that can win, the culture, the coaches there.” Monroe shared. “Coach [Willie] Fritz is a great coach and he always has a great staff, and I knew that it was a team that can definitely win. My brother went there before, and there’s a standard that Tulane always upheld and I just wanted to make sure that we brought that standard back. And I tried to do that as much as I can. Being the guy in the background, I couldn’t just come out and be that guy automatically because I was transferring from such a low level.”
And lo and behold, Monroe was right, as the team had one of the biggest turnarounds in college football in that 2022 season, going from an AAC bottom dweller to a 12-2 record. They even made and won the Cotton Bowl against media darling USC and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Monroe picked Williams off in that game, quite impressive considering Williams only threw five interceptions that whole season.
Jarius Monroe (@jayboedagoat) had one interception in three seasons at Nicholls (Sep 14, 2019 in his second career game at Prairie View)
He just grabbed his third this year for Tulane, in the Cotton Bowl, against USC, a play after being called for pass interference. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/mTpAamArRy
— Jack Benjamin (@JackBenjaminPxP) January 2, 2023
“My goal was honestly to win the game because I felt like we can, I knew we can,” Monroe said of the Cotton Bowl. “I knew that it was gonna come down to the passing game and I knew that if I can lock down my side of the field on my opponent, how much can they actually do on the other side?”
Tulane kept the momentum and the culture going into 2023, posting another double-digit win season at 11-3, the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in the history of the program.
Monroe has a lot of skills to offer teams at the next level, and maybe chief among them is the fact that he contributes to a great defensive culture, like he did at Tulane. Even over four days of practices, he felt like a leader and unofficial captain of the West squad.
The Steelers are certainly looking for a cornerback, and even though his draft stock is rising, Monroe would be a great Day 2 or Day 3 option. Do you want toughness, leadership, and a guy with great ball skills who can play multiple positions? Look no further.
