Trio of Jayhawks set to play in 2017 Tropical Bowl
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Three Kansas football players who recently completed their eligibility are heading to Daytona Beach, Florida for the second annual Tropical Bowl, which will be held at Dayton Beach Municipal Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 8 a.m. (CT). Defensive end Damani Mosby, cornerback Marnez Ogletree and safety Tevin Shaw, will each look to showcase their skills in an effort to secure a spot at the next level, while also representing Kansas football on the all-star level.
“This is a great opportunity for us,” said Ogletree. “We have had a lot of eyes on us while we were playing for KU, but this is a chance for scouts to see us practice and play one last time. The game is really important, but the practices are what the scouts are really going to evaluate us on. They want to see what kind of initiative we take and are we stepping up trying to be in that top spot.”
The trio of Jayhawks will travel to Daytona Beach Thursday, Jan. 17, with practices slated for both Friday and Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s Tropical Bowl. The 2017 game will be video live streamed by Audible Sports here. A radio broadcast of the game can be found here.
The 2017 Tropical Bowl National Team will be coached by award-winning 18 year NFL veteran Coach Mike Stock formerly of the Green Bay Packers, while the American Team will be led by experienced FBS coach Todd Littlejohn, who has coached for New Mexico and the University of California. All three Jayhawks will suit up for the American Team and play under Littlejohn. The 2016 Tropical Bowl saw half of its roster go on to the NFL, as 27 NFL teams were in attendance and more than 70 total scouts flew in for the event.
“I am really looking forward to the experience and will hopefully help myself for the future,” said Ogletree. “I am really glad to get to go down there with two of my teammates. We have been through a lot together and it will be nice to have some familiar faces beside me. I know we are focused on putting our best foot forward on the field, but hopefully we can have some fun too.”
All three Jayhawks had successful senior campaigns in 2016 as they were three of KU’s top defenders. Ogletree started all 12 games, leading KU with eight pass breakups. He also was credited with 34 total tackles and one tackle-for-loss. Shaw finished the year as Kansas’ fourth leading tackler with 56 stops. He registered five pass breakups and 4.5 TFLs, while manning the nickleback spot for the Jayhawks. Mosby started 10 games and ranked third on the team with 7.0 TFLs. He recorded 25 total tackles, while also collecting two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
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