The 2024 Hula Bowl concluded weigh-ins and day one of practice on Tuesday, January 9th, and have two more days of practices before the game will be played in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday. We looked at the measurements yesterday, today we’re going to be looking at all of the updates surrounding the event and the standouts from day one of practice.
Let’s get into it.
2024 Hula Bowl Injuries, Opt-Outs, and Replacements
Opted Out: TE Trey Knox, South Carolina
Replacement: TE Dylan Leonard, Georgia Tech
The former Arkansas standout Trey Knox transferred to South Carolina last year and had a good season, earning his invitation to this game. However, it’s very possible that Knox could be on his way to the Dallas, Texas, area for the Shrine Bowl to perform over that week. The Shrine Bowl rosters have been raided by the Senior Bowl and are still in need of filling a lot of spaces, so it’s safe to assume that the Shrine Bowl will be asking some of these players to come perform up there instead.
Dylan Leonard will now replace Knox after a good week at the College Gridiron Showcase. Leonard caught some eyes down in Texas as a potential HPFA or even a later-round prospect, so scouts will get a look at him outside of an OTA-style scrimmage format.
Opted Out: OT Mike Edwards, Campbell
Replacement: OT Lokahi Pauole, UCF
Mike Edwards weighed in very well yesterday, coming in much bigger (6052/356 lbs) than most people had expected, as he was projected to weigh closer to 335. I didn’t list Edwards yesterday on the weigh-in winners because sometimes being heavier isn’t a good thing. Teams will indeed want to watch Edwards to see how the extra weight affects his maneuverability. However, they won’t get that chance this week as Edwards has opted out.
The Hula Bowl added Lokahi Pauole from UCF for depth – from the very building where the Hula Bowl is being hosted in. Pauole had good grades entering the season from advance scouts and will certainly help the game continue to move forward.
Injury: CB Al Walcott, Arkansas
Arkansas cornerback Al Walcott is done for the week after suffering a quad injury.
The injury is not serious, but Walcott will be holding out for precautions. Walcott is a man-coverage cornerback, which means that any lack of maneuverability makes it much more difficult for him to play through many of the practice rep situations. The Hula Bowl may add a replacement, but I hadn’t heard anything about who that may be.
Day two of practices is being moved inside due to the weather
Day two of practices are being moved indoors. The field this morning was “garbage” due to a storm that rolled through last night and disrupted the natural grass that lies on the practice fields.
For some players, this should be an advantage. Turf usually works better for faster players, as they’re able to gather more explosiveness from the rubber beads.
2024 Hula Bowl – Practice Day One Standouts
John Rhys Plumlee was supposed to work out at wide receiver as well as quarterback this week, but he hasn’t been moved from quarterback yet. Plumlee received tremendous praise over the summer of 2023 with the improvements he had made to his throwing mechanics from people like Jim Nagy, the director of the Senior Bowl. Plumlee also showed up wearing a half Ole Miss/half UCF helmet to practice, a recognition of the time he spent in Mississippi before transferring to UCF.
@JohnRhysPlumlee delivering a screen to @GeorgeHolani during @Hula_Bowl practice. pic.twitter.com/lCa46enfwd
— Draft Guy Jimmy (@draftguyjimmy) January 10, 2024
Troy cornerback Reddy Stewart is making some waves in coverage, trying to bounce back from a less-than-impressive weigh-in Tuesday morning. How do you best do that? You make plays.
Troy DB Reddy Steward is MAKING PLAYS at Hula Bowl practice. ⚔️🔥@ReddySteward
🎥 @AgentGrady_ pic.twitter.com/w6BjMSo6zW
— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) January 10, 2024
More to follow later this week on the happenings of the 2024 Hula Bowl.
