Texas Tech University Athletics
Merriweather, Thompson set for NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
January 27, 2023 | Football
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will feature both SaRodorick Thompson and Krishon Merriweather on Saturday
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech running back SaRodorick Thompson Jr. and linebacker Krishon Merriweather will both take part in the 11th-annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday as kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT from historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
After spending three seasons on the same sideline, the two Red Raiders will find themselves on separate teams Saturday as Merriweather will be part of the National team, while Thompson was selected to the American team. The two teams are coached by a longtime NFL great in Eddie George (National) as well as former NFL head coach in Jeff Fisher (American).
This will be the first all-star game for both Merriweather and Thompson, who arrived in Southern California earlier this week for a series of practices leading into Saturday's exhibition. The bowl is regularly attended by the top scouts and executives from all 30 NFL teams leading into this spring's NFL Draft.
For Thompson, the bowl is a great opportunity to further showcase his running ability as he totaled 2,664 yards and 40 touchdowns over his 50-game career as a Red Raider. Thompson, who had more than 3,000 all-purpose yards for his career thanks to an additional 520 receiving yards, rushed for at least 600 yards in three different seasons as one of the top running backs in program history.
A native of Irving, Texas, Thompson wrapped his Red Raider career ranked third all-time in career rushing touchdowns and eighth for career rushing yards. He passed the likes of Larry Isaac (1973-76), Baron Batch (2006, 2008-10) and Ring of Honor member Donny Anderson (1963-65) to reach the top 10 in career rushing yards late in the 2022 season where he led the Red Raiders to a bowl win for a second-consecutive season with a 42-25 victory over Ole Miss in the TaxAct Texas Bowl.
Merriweather, meanwhile, was one of the top linebackers in college football this season as he recorded a team-leading 112 tackles, which included 6.0 that went for a loss and 3.0 sacks. Merriweather led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally with 5.4 solo tackles per game and was also third in the conference with 8.6 tackles per game and 112 total tackles.
For his career, Merriweather totaled 239 stops as a Red Raider, including 18.0 that went for a loss, to go along with two forced fumbles and 6.0 sacks. He arrived at Texas Tech prior to the 2020 season after leading the junior college level in tackles as a sophomore at Garden City Community College in Kansas.
Coverage of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl can be found via NFL Network.
