HBCU Legacy Bowl 2022: Rosters, Top Prospects for College Football Game

Various All-Star Games between the end of the college football season and the NFL draft give players an opportunity to boost their stock prior to starting their professional careers. Among those games are the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.

This year, a new showcase game has been added to the mix. The HBCU Legacy Bowl will feature draft-eligible players from various historically Black colleges and universities. The inaugural edition of the game will take place Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Tulane University's Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, and it will air live on NFL Network.

The two teams are named after former Florida A&M head coach Jake Gaither and former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson. Team Gaither will feature players from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, while Team Robinson will have players from the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

A full list of players participating in the 2022 HBCU Legacy Bowl can be found at the game's official site.

Here's a closer look at several of the top players taking part in Saturday's game.

Jah-Maine Martin, RB, North Carolina A&T

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After beginning his college career at Coastal Carolina, Jah-Maine Martin transferred to North Carolina A&T prior to the 2018 season. He didn't make a huge impact in his first year with the Aggies, but he broke out in 2019 when he rushed for 1,446 yards and 23 touchdowns to earn first-team All-MEAC honors.

Martin ran for 522 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games during the 2021 season. Now, the 5'10" running back will have an opportunity to show that he could be a solid NFL running back against some strong competition in the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

As Martin showed throughout his career at North Carolina A&T, he's capable of breaking off big plays. Over his three seasons with the Aggies, he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. And he possesses great speed, which he's shown at this week's practices, as shared by Sports Illustrated's NFL Draft Bible.

Martin should be among the most exciting players on Team Gaither's offense, and don't be surprised if he has some big plays during Saturday's game in the run and pass games. 

Chris Myers, DE, Norfolk State

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Chris Myers participated in the HBCU combine at the Senior Bowl earlier this month, and now the former Norfolk State defensive end will be among the top defensive prospects in Saturday's HBCU Legacy Bowl. The 6'6", 245-pound pass-rusher spent his first two college seasons at Middle Tennessee prior to transferring to Norfolk State in 2019.

In his first year with the Spartans, Myers had 36 tackles, nine sacks (tied for the most in the MEAC) and one fumble recovery in 12 games, earning third-team All-MEAC honors. He then recorded 40 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 11 games during the 2021 season.

According to Ric Serritella of Sports Illustrated's NFL Draft Bible, Myers has "turned quite a few heads" at practice this week. Serritella believes Myers will be a "priority free agent" after the 2022 NFL draft.

Myers should be entertaining to watch during Saturday's game. Expect him to put some pressure on Team Robinson's quarterbacks.

LaDarius Skelton, QB/RB, Southern

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Over the past four seasons, LaDarius Skelton played quarterback for Southern. He didn't put up huge passing numbers for the Jaguars, but he was a contributor to their rushing attack. In 2019, he even ran for 870 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games.

However, Skelton won't be playing QB during Saturday's HBCU Legacy Bowl. Instead, he'll be lining up at running back.

Although Skelton said he hasn't played running back since his Pop Warner youth football days, he's been getting reps at RB during this week's practices. And so far, it seems things have been going well.

"I've been running the ball all my life. The only difference is the technique of the running back position," Skelton said, per NOLA.com's Rod Walker. "Just understanding the footwork part and going through the hole and reading the blocks. Just the little things. After the technique, it's just running."

After rushing for 119 yards and four touchdowns in limited action for Southern during the 2021 season, Skelton will look to showcase his running abilities for Team Robinson on Saturday, even if he'll be doing so at a new position.