Texas Tech University Athletics
Three Red Raiders set for Hula Bowl on Saturday
January 12, 2024 | Football
Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. Saturday morning with television coverage on CBS Sports Network
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will have three of its departed seniors take part in the Hula Bowl on Saturday in punter Austin McNamara and defensive backs Tyler Owens and Rayshad Williams.
All three Red Raiders will be on Team Kai when the Hula Bowl kicks off at 11 a.m. CT from UCF FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. Television coverage will be provided nationally on CBS Sports Network.
This is the fourth time in the past five years where a Red Raider has participated in the Hula Bowl, which was relocated to Florida prior to its 2022 game from its usual location in Hawaii. Texas Tech was previously represented in the Hula Bowl by Douglas Coleman III and Donta Thompson in 2019, Zech McPhearson in 2020 and then Travis Koontz and Riko Jeffers in 2021.
The week-long week of activities propelled McPhearson, in particular, up draft boards as the Philadelphia Eagles later selected the defensive back in the fourth round later that spring. McPhearson, currently on injured reserve with the Eagles, was a key special teams standout and reserve defensive back for Philadelphia a year ago en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
Texas Tech's new class of Hula Bowl members will look to do the same Saturday to cap a full week of practices in front of NFL coaches and scouts. It is the first of two all-star games for both McNamara and Owens, who will play in the Reese's Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl, respectively, in the coming weeks.
Owens accepted his invitation to the Shrine Bowl earlier Friday, giving Texas Tech two invitees to the prestigious all-star game as Dadrion Taylor-Demerson previously accepted a similar invitation in recent weeks.
