Hula Bowl 2023 Standouts
2023 Hula Bowl Review
2023 Hula Bowl Standouts
It’s that time of year again. A national champion has been crowned and another college football season has come to an end. But as they say, when one door closes another one opens. In our case, we’re talking about kickstarting the 2023 NFL draft season. The first event of the season comes in the form of the 2023 Hula Bowl held in Orlando, Florida. Roughly 200 scouts from the NFL, USFL, XFL, and CFL among others were present to get a look at around 100 hopefuls.
Will any of this year’s participants be the next Isiah Pacheco, who was a standout in the 2022 Hula Bowl? This year’s contest was more of a defensive struggle. Team Kia, coached by Super Bowl winning coach Brian Billick defeated Team Aina, led by former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith, 16-13. So who were the standouts in this year’s edition?
Christopher Brooks – RB – BYU (Offensive MVP)
While the passing game for both teams struggled to get in sync, both teams relied on the ground game to move the ball. And the best running back on the day was BYU’s Christopher Brooks. The 6’1”, 230-pound ball carrier was a bruiser for team Team Kai all day long. Brooks did a great job of season the hole and hitting it hard, getting up to speed extremely quickly. Christopher isn’t a name that I’ve heard much in terms of draft prospects leading up to the Hula Bowl. But, after watching his performance, he’s a player that should probably start getting some attention.
Jordan Ferguson – DE – Middle Tennessee State (Defensive MVP)
As dominant as Brooks was on the offensive side of the ball, Ferguson was every bit as good on the defensive side. Feguson was in the backfield so often it seemed like he never left the field. With two sacks and a forced fumble, it was easy to understand why he was named the player of the game. Ferguson has been gathering more and more draft buzz recently, and his performance in the Hula Bowl did nothing kill that momentum.
Quarterback Play
Is there any position that gets more attention in the NFL Draft than quarterbacks? Of course not, so why wouldn’t we dive into how they performed during the game. This year’s Hula Bowl had an interesting group of quarterbacks from this year’s draft class. Overall, Team Kai’s group of Holton Ahlers (East Carolina), Sean Clifford (Penn St.), and Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) outplayed Team Aina’s group of Tim DeMorat (Fordham), Chase Brice (Appalachian St.), and Adrian Martinez (Kansas St.).
While it didn’t lead to many touchdowns, Team Kai’s quarterbacks consistently moved the ball down the field on most drives. It was mainly turnovers that stopped them. From that group I would say Ahlers looked the most in command of Brian Billick’s offense. Still, each quarterback made an impressive play at one point or another. Morgan, former teammate of NFL hopefuls John Michael Schimtz and Mohamed Ibrahim had the biggest play of the first half for Team Kai, with a 32-yard strike to San Jose St.’s Elijah Cooks. Clifford managed to get out of a broken pocket and scrambled for a first down. Finally, Ahlers had a beautiful touchdown pass near the end of the first half.
For Team Aina, DeMorat had the biggest play of the game hitting UAB’s Trea Shropshire on a 75-yard bomb to end the first half. Adrian Martinez was probably the most consistent quarterback for Mike Smith’s side. He did a great job of using his legs to escape pressure and extend plays. While Chase Brice made some nice throws, he probably had the roughest day. Most frustrating play would have to be the fumble that was recovered by Team Kai to wrap up the game.
Other Notable Players
Santrell Lathem – LB – Southern Miss
While he’s undersized for a NFL linebacker, I was impressed with Lathem. He showed a great understanding of his role within the defense, as well as a great motor. By the end of the game, I was never surprised to see him around the ball.
Brevin Allen – DE – Campbell
Allen flashed good speed off the snap. He held up well as he stepped up his competition level from FCS level, to primarily going up against FBS lineman.
Spencer Waege – DE – North Dakota State
In my opinion was the second-best defensive lineman, behind only Jordan Ferguson. While he didn’t make as many splash plays as Ferguson, he was just as disruptive.
Justin Ford – CB – Montana
While he did get beat on DeMorat’s touchdown pass, overall, I was impressed by Ford’s play. He showed the ability to run with receivers on deeper/crossing routes. He was also willing to come up and get involved in rush defense.
Up next is the Tropical Bowl on January 21, then the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will be played on January 28 in Pasadena, California. Followed by the East-West Shrine Bowl on February 2, the Reese’s Senior Bowl on February 4 and finally, the HBCU Legacy Game on February 25.
