The 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl is here, and there are 97 players on rosters for the HBCU football all-star game. With talent coming from HBCUs across the country and divisions, here's a look at where the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl selections played, how to watch the game and more.
What is the HBCU Legacy Bowl?
The HBCU Legacy Bowl is a postseason HBCU football all-star game, highlighting the top draft-eligible prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The HBCU Legacy Bowl began in 2022 and is presented yearly by the Black College Football Hall of Fame. In 2023, the HBCU Legacy Bowl partnered with the NFL to host the HBCU Combine ahead of the game.
How to watch the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl
Here's how you can watch the second-annual HBCU Legacy Bowl in 2023.
- When: Saturday, Feb. 25
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- TV: NFL Network
- Location: Yulman Stadium (on the campus of Tulane) in New Orleans, Louisiana
MORE: What happened in the 2022 HBCU football season | 2022 Celebration Bowl | Final 2022 Rankings
2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl coaches
The two HBCU Legacy Bowl teams are Team Gaither and Team Robinson, named after legendary HBCU head coaches Jake Gaither (Florida A&M) and Eddie Robinson (Grambling St.). Team Gaither will be led by co-head coaches Richard Hayes Jr. (Fayetteville St.) and Trei Oliver (North Carolina Central). Team Robinson will be led by co-head coaches Chennis Berry (Benedict College) and Eric Dooley (Southern University).
2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl roster breakdown
HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by school
Southern leads all HBCUs with seven players on 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters. Bowie State leads all Division II HBCUs with six players on rosters, while Langston University is the only non-NCAA HBCU with players in the bowl game with five players.
Every FCS HBCU is represented on rosters. Nine Division II HBCUs do not have a player on 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters: Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone State, Augustine's, Savannah State, Morehouse, Allen, Miles and West Virginia State.
2022 GAMES: 2022 MEAC/SWAC Challenge | Orange Blossom Classic
| No. of Players on Roster | School |
|---|---|
| 7 | Southern |
| 6 | Bowie State |
| 5 | North Carolina A&T, Virginia Union |
| 4 | Benedict, Florida A&M, Jackson State, Langston, Tennessee State |
| 3 | Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Delaware State, Fayetteville State, Fort Valley State, Morgan State, North Carolina Central, Texas Southern |
| 2 | Albany State, Hampton, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Shaw, Tuskegee, Virginia State |
| 1 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman, Central State, Clark Atlanta, Elizabeth City State, Edward Waters, Grambling State, Howard, Kentucky State, Lane, Lincoln (PA), Norfolk State, South Carolina State |
HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by conference
From a conference perspective, the SWAC leads the way with 34 players in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl. Two DII conferences, the CIAA and SIAC, follow with 20 and 16 players, respectively. However, the FCS's MEAC has a higher percentage of players per team than either of the DII conferences.
| No. of Players on Roster | conference | Players per Conf. team |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | SWAC | 2.8 |
| 20 | CIAA | 1.6 |
| 16 | SIAC | 1.2 |
| 12 | MEAC | 2.0 |
| 5 | Big South | - |
| 4 | OVC, NAIA | - |
| 2 | CAA | - |
HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by division
As expected, there are more FCS players in the HBCU Legacy Bowl than DII players. See the full breakdown below.
| No. of Players on Roster | Division |
|---|---|
| 57 | FCS |
| 36 | DII |
| 4 | NAIA |
HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by position
There are 52 offensive players in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl. Bowie State's Dion Golatt Jr. leads the six-man quarterback group and Morgan State's Alfonzo Graham will look to show off his versatility among the running backs. Florida A&M's Xavier Smith is the star among the wide receivers, especially after his reported 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the HBCU combine.
When it comes to the offensive line, I noticed after watching a practice in-person that many of the offensive linemen are positionless. The positionless-ness is reflected on the HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters, led by MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year Robert Mitchell (NCCU).
BEST IN CLASS: The top HBCU football players, by position, from the 2022 season
| No. of Players on Roster | Position | No. on Team Gaither | No. on Team Robinson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Offensive line | 10 | 10 |
| 10 | Wide Receiver | 6 | 4 |
| 8 | Running back | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Quarterback | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Tight end | 2 | 1 |
There are 45 defensive players in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl. The defensive line features a number of tantalizing prospects, with DII standouts Joshua Pryor (Bowie State) and Andrew Farmer II (Lane) being ones to watch. Spring 2021's Buck Buchanan Award winner, Jordan Lewis (Southern), is in the versatile linebacker group. Expect Lewis to show off his coverage abilities in addition to his menacing pass rush.
At cornerback, Jackson State's De'Jahn "Nugget" Warren flashes elite athleticism while Brandon Barnes-Brown hopes to follow in his Fayetteville State teammate Joshua Williams' footsteps after Williams was selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
| No. of Players on Roster | Position | No. on Team Gaither | No. on Team Robinson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Defensive line | 8 | 8 |
| 12 | Linebacker | 6 | 6 |
| 10 | Cornerback | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | Safety | 4 | 3 |
There is one kicker, punter and long snapper per team in the HBCU Legacy Bowl. Interestingly, Morgan State's Myles Wright is doubling as a tight end and long snapper in the game.
| No. of Players on Roster | Position |
|---|---|
| 2 | Kicker, Punter, Long snapper |
Full 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters
Team Gaither has 50 players in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl and Team Robinson has 47 players. Here's a complete list of the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters.
Team Gaither
| Jersey | Athlete | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| 1 | Dion "DJ" Gollat Jr. | QB | Bowie State |
| 2 | Alfonzo Graham | RB | Morgan State |
| 4 | Edward Hicks II | WR | North Carolina Central |
| 5 | Jahkari Grant | QB | Virginia Union |
| 6 | Morgan Scroggins | WR | Bowie State |
| 8 | Antoine Murray | WR | Howard |
| 9 | Darius Hagans | RB | Virginia State |
| 11 | Jalen Fowler | QB | North Carolina A&T |
| 12 | Jerrish Halsey | WR | Delaware State |
| 13 | Jeremiah Holloman | WR | Tennessee State |
| 19 | Zach Leslie | WR | North Carolina A&T |
| 20 | Taurean Taylor | RB | Tuskegee |
| 28 | Tyler King | RB | Edward Waters |
| 40 | Elton Andrew Jr. | K | Fayetteville State |
| 53 | Quinton Bobo Jr. | OL | Bowie State |
| 54 | Robert Mitchell | OL | North Carolina Central |
| 55 | Dacquari Wilson Jr. | OL | North Carolina A&T |
| 58 | Tyrese Bobbit | OL | Shaw |
| 62 | Christopher Georgia | OL | Tennessee State |
| 70 | Robert Lacey III | OL | Tennessee State |
| 72 | Christopher Simon | OL | South Carolina State |
| 74 | Colby Byrd | OL | Norfolk State |
| 75 | Christopher Anthony | OL | Morgan State |
| 76 | Darian Bryant | OL | Virginia Union |
| 81 | Tyler Barnes | TE | North Carolina Central |
| 86 | Myles Wright | TE/LS | Morgan State |
| 90 | Jacob Young | P | Fayetteville State |
| Defense | |||
| 0 | Joshua Pryor | DL | Bowie State |
| 3 | Malik Johnson | CB | Central State |
| 4 | Derrick Tucker | S | Texas Southern |
| 5 | Kai Gray | S | Lincoln (PA) |
| 6 | Jermaine McDaniel | DL | North Carolina A&T |
| 7 | Demetrius Mann | S | Virginia Union |
| 8 | Isaiah Williams | DL | Delaware State |
| 9 | Jaleel Scroggins | CB | Shaw |
| 10 | Brandon Barnes-Brown | CB | Fayetteville State |
| 11 | Jahsun Bryant | LB | Tennessee State |
| 15 | Keshaun Moore | DL | Hampton |
| 16 | Damontay Rhem | LB | Virginia Union |
| 17 | Julius Ali Shocklay | CB | Hampton |
| 18 | Brandon Gaddy | DL | Alabama State |
| 21 | Raymond Boone | S | Bowie State |
| 27 | Jai Nunn-Liddell | CB | Kentucky State |
| 33 | Woodly Appolon | LB | Tuskegee |
| 42 | Zion Johnson | LB | Virginia State |
| 48 | Brooks Parker III | LB | Delaware State |
| 50 | Devin Harrell | DL | North Carolina A&T |
| 54 | Juanya' Majette | LB | Elizabeth City State |
| 98 | Ronald Johnson Jr. | DL | Virginia Union |
| 99 | Ellison Jordan | DL | Bowie State |
Team Robinson
| Jersey No. | Athlete | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| 0 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | Fort Valley State |
| 1 | Larry Harrington | QB | Langston |
| 3 | Jacory Rankin | WR | Mississippi Valley State |
| 5 | Que'shaun Byrd | RB | Bethune-Cookman |
| 6 | Isiah Cox | WR | Alabama A&M |
| 11 | Skyler Perry | QB | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 12 | Glendon McDaniel | QB | Southern |
| 13 | Cornelius "CJ" Bolar | WR | Alcorn State |
| 17 | DeVon McCoy | TE | Clark Atlanta |
| 19 | Xavier Smith | WR | Florida A&M |
| 21 | Anthony "AJ" Davis | RB | Florida A&M |
| 23 | Markel Scott | RB | Langston |
| 42 | Jose Romo-Martinez | K | Florida A&M |
| 43 | Christopher Faddoul | P | Florida A&M |
| 44 | Aarion Hartman | LS | Jackson State |
| 54 | Drake Centers | OL | Texas Southern |
| 55 | Henry Mitchell | OL | Benedict |
| 57 | Tyler Pritchett | OL | Benedict |
| 63 | Brian Williams | OL | Southern |
| 70 | Cortez Herrin | OL | Alabama A&M |
| 71 | Emanuel Boone | OL | Fort Valley State |
| 72 | Jeremiah Stafford | OL | Southern |
| 74 | Tony Gray | OL | Jackson State |
| 77 | Maurice Campbell | OL | Benedict |
| 78 | Jordan Johnson | OL | Prairie View A&M |
| Defense | |||
| 1 | Jason Dumas | DL | Southern |
| 3 | Corione Harris | S | Southern |
| 4 | De'Jahn "Nugget" Warren | CB | Jackson State |
| 5 | Keyron Kinsler Jr. | S | Alcorn State |
| 6 | Reyondous Estes | CB | Grambling State |
| 9 | Nelson Jordan II | DL | Alabama State |
| 10 | Keenan Issac | CB | Alabama State |
| 12 | Jamal Dorsey | DL | Langston |
| 20 | Olajuwone Smith | S | Benedict |
| 21 | Claudin Cherelus | LB | Alcorn State |
| 22 | James Hawkins | CB | Albany State |
| 26 | Devin Dourisseau | LB | Langston |
| 30 | Stephen Pierre | LB | Albany State |
| 32 | Jordan Lewis | LB | Southern |
| 33 | Tyler Moore | CB | Fort Valley State |
| 35 | Dre'Shuwn Terry | LB | Alabama A&M |
| 44 | Andrew Farmer II | DL | Lane |
| 50 | Ronnie Thomas | DL | Mississippi Valley State |
| 51 | Tarik Cooper | LB | Texas Southern |
| 92 | Justin Ragin | DL | Jackson State |
| 94 | Cameron Peterson | DL | Southern |
| 99 | Kevin Victorian | DL | Prairie View A&M |
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