HBCU Legacy Bowl Will Host the NFL's HBCU Combine
The National Football League will move the HBCU Combine from the Reese's Senior Bowl to the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at the New Orleans Saints' Ochsner Performance Center in Metairie, LA.
"It's a great idea to have the HBCU Combine with the HBCU Legacy Bowl," co-founder Doug Williams told HBCU Legends. "We know that only a few of our kids have the opportunity to go to the NFL Combine. So this is their Combine, here, with the Legacy Bowl."
Last season, Jim Nagy and the Senior Bowl hosted the first-sponsored NFL HBCU Combine in Mobile, Alabama, a few days before their bowl's player activities began.
NFL scouts and team executives will meet and evaluate HBCU players at the HBCU Combine. Standout players could receive an invitation to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, which begins the following week on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
"We appreciate the event working to allow us to have the HBCU Combine. Because what it does is that Monday at the Combine, hopefully, those guys will commit to playing in our game," Williams mentioned about the NFL hopefuls journeying to New Orleans for the HBCU Combine.
Doug Williams was incredibly proud of one HBCU Legacy Bowl alumnus Da'Shaan Dixon. "It's no doubt in my mind that the [HBCU Legacy Bowl" game helped him." How? The Norfolk State defensive end played an excellent bowl game last February's inaugural event.
On Tuesday, the undrafted rookie free agent learned he earned a roster spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars. "I hope today's HBCU players take notice of how our game helped Dixon."
The event activities:
OFFICIAL HBCU LEGACY BOWL ANNOUCEMENT
The HBCU Legacy Bowl, presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame, in collaboration with the National Football League, will hold the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) Combine in New Orleans, Louisiana. Select players from four HBCU conferences – CIAA, MEAC, SIAC and SWAC – and other HBCU institutions will be invited to participate in the event.
The combine will be held on February 20th at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, which is the New Orleans Saints practice facility, located in Metairie, LA. The event will be patterned after the NFL Combine, the HBCU Combine will include the gathering of comprehensive medical information, interviews, and on-field evaluations of football skills and acumen.
“The HBCU Legacy Bowl is honored to partner with the National Football League to host the HBCU Combine,” said Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams. “This is a meaningful and impactful platform that will lift our HBCU community.”
“HBCU’s have made an indelible mark on the history of football,” said Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder and legendary QB James “Shack” Harris. “The HBCU Legacy Bowl and the HBCU Combine ensure that future generations of HBCU players will continue this excellence and legacy.”
An HBCU Scouting Committee, comprised of current and former league executives, will evaluate and select this year’s participants. The Senior Bowl will provide medical and football personnel to capture important pre-Draft information and deliver a world-class experience for HBCU prospects.
“Throughout NFL history, HBCU athletes have exemplified a standard of excellence both on and off the field,” says Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations. “The HBCU Combine is part of honoring that legacy and making every effort to accelerate exposure of HBCU draft prospects to all NFL clubs. The game is better when all have the opportunity to compete.”
All 32 NFL clubs will be represented at the HBCU Legacy Bowl, partnering with the HBCU Combine ensures maximum visibility for the talented HBCU players.
The 2nd Annual HBCU Legacy Bowl will kick off on February 25, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. CT at Yulman Stadium at Tulane University.
Below is a breakdown of the events during the HBCU Legacy Bowl and the HBCS Combine.