Last Saturday, eight of Howard’s senior football players participated in the 2025 HBCU Legacy Bowl at Tulane University in New Orleans.
The HBCU Legacy Bowl began in 2022 at Tulane as a week-long event to feature the top draft-eligible picks from HBCUs. It was hosted again at Tulane this year in partnership with the NFL, Allstate, Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
The multi-day affair included team practices, workouts and a job fair leading into the Feb. 24 game between Team Gaither and Team Robinson, named after football coach Jake Gaither of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Eddie Robinson of Grambling State. The game was broadcasted live on NFL Network, and commented by Bucky Brooks, Charles Davis and Howard alumnus Steve Wyche.
Representing Howard were Jarrett Hunter, Kasey Hawthorne, Darius Fox, Carson Hinton, Kenny Gallop, Robert Jones, Xavier Robiou and Dylan West.
“It’s a blessing, man. You got guys from all around the country coming into one space,” Fox, an offensive lineman who has been a four-year starter said. “So it’s just a great experience, going against the best of the best, getting better every day.”
Doug Williams, the NFL’s first Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988 and Legacy Bowl co-founder, explained that the purpose of the bowl game is about providing an extra opportunity to play against college competition, rather than to serve solely as a transition to the NFL.
“Number one, you give these guys another opportunity to play in something that they love, and also give them a view of other people like the scouts to see who they probably can bring in as a player, and that’s what this is all about,” Williams said.
He emphasized that the job fair was the weekend’s top priority, recognizing that the odds of making it to the professional league are extremely slim—only 1.6 percent of college athletes advance to the next level. For HBCU players, the chances are even lower, with just 22 athletes currently on a professional roster, according to HBCU Gameday.
Jay “Sky” Walker, former Howard quarterback, 1993 Black College National Champion and 2025 Black College Football Hall of Fame inductee attended for the first time and recalled how his time at Howard molded him into who he is today.
“I wouldn’t trade my Howard experience for anything in life. I mean, Howard prepared me for life. HBCUs prepare you for life. You’re only gonna play football for so many years, but, you know, it’s a life lesson that I was able to receive,” Walker said.
Walker went on to share that having the goal of dominating within an HBCU athletic program is what allowed him to succeed at a high level while playing football at Howard.
Kenny Gallop, the 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Defensive Player of the Year, enjoyed the opportunity to showcase his skills in the all-star setting.
“I feel like I showed that I can play with anybody, and it was exciting this week,” Gallop said. “Competing against the best HBCU players out here, man. So it’s been exciting to play with my brothers one last time.”
After the experience, Fox remained confident that he and his teammates had sufficient exposure to professional scouts, with all 32 NFL teams in attendance.
In the end, Team Gaither fell short to Team Robinson 17-14, but the Bison were still able to showcase their talent in front of professionals ahead of the NFL draft, which will take place at the end of April.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
