Orlando, Fla. — The dream of playing professional football has taken a pair of recent Kansas standouts far afield — working out in a conference rival’s facilities, wearing unfamiliar numbers and even getting ready to play new positions if needed.
Quarterback Jason Bean and linebacker Craig Young — who sported Nos. 5 and 52, respectively, at Hula Bowl practice Wednesday in UCF’s Nicholson Fieldhouse — are just two of a handful of KU football players using postseason all-star games as opportunities to get in front of pro scouts from the NFL, the Canadian Football League and beyond, while testing their mettle against top players from across the nation.
Bean and Young will play Saturday at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. The Hula Bowl, which used to take place in Honolulu and features Aina (Hawaiian for “land”) and Kai (“sea”) teams comprising accomplished college players, airs on CBS Sports Network that morning at 11 a.m. Central Time.
“It’s been fun, just competing with other players around the country, good players at that,” Young told the Journal-World Wednesday. “All of us out here chasing the dream. It’s unbelievable, you know, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have, and we’re just out here just enjoying ourselves, really.”
Both had accomplished tenures with the Jayhawks after beginning their collegiate careers elsewhere — Bean at North Texas, Young at Ohio State — and shone in 2023, as Bean threw for 2,130 yards with 18 touchdowns in relief of Jalon Daniels, while Young had 41 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pick starting at KU’s hybrid “Hawk” linebacker/safety position.
Therein lies one of the biggest challenges for both players this week in Orlando: positional fit.
Young has to prove he can play the role of a true linebacker after beginning as a safety at Ohio State and transitioning to Hawk at KU; he said he plans to “be coachable and get better” while relying on the athleticism that served him well all year: “nothing new, just being the same, being myself, not switching up.”
Bean has to show scouts he can “make any throw on the field” at quarterback — unless, of course, they want him to play receiver.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean awaits a snap in Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
The Hula Bowl’s roster, shared with scouts at practices, has Bean — who spent his KU tenure widely considered the fastest player on the team, a rarity for a quarterback — listed as an athlete. He said Wednesday he had been told he might get some run at receiver but had only received reps at quarterback up until that point. (Practices began Tuesday after athletes arrived in Orlando Monday; much of the rest of players’ time consists of interviews with scouts.)
“Whatever they want me to do, I’m going to try to work my best at it, try to perfect it as much as I can,” Bean said.
Those quarterback reps — some of which Wednesday were taken from under center, which was not a prominent feature of Bean’s KU tenure — have been split with some familiar former competitors, including the likes of UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee (formerly of Ole Miss) and Ole Miss’ Spencer Sanders (formerly of Oklahoma State). Both started against Bean-led KU teams over the last few years.
“It’s been great just to talk about the games that we played in the past, just to see their side of things, their perspective of it,” Bean said.
If Bean does end up seeing time at receiver — he is the only player on the roster with that “athlete” designation — Hula Bowl owner Nick Logan said that players have had success trying out different positions in his game in the past.
“A lot of times when those suggestions come up, they’re suggestions that come from the NFL,” he said.
There are precious few opportunities for players to incorporate such suggestions between when their college careers conclude and their professional ones begin. Former KU players such as Kwamie Lassiter II (2022) and Caleb Sampson (2023) have also played in the Hula Bowl in recent seasons and earned NFL opportunities.
“There are only three all-star games now that have really (stood the test of) time,” Logan said. “It’s us — we’ve been around since ’46 — the Senior Bowl and the East-West (Shrine Bowl).”
Fellow Jayhawks Austin Booker and Dominick Puni are headed for the Senior Bowl (Feb. 3 in Mobile, Alabama), while Kenny Logan Jr. takes part in the Shrine Bowl (Feb. 1 in Frisco, Texas).
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean plays catch with Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant during Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean drops back as Memphis running back Blake Watson blocks for him during Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas linebacker Craig Young, left, gives a high five to Liberty linebacker Tyren Dupree during Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas linebacker Craig Young, right, goes up against Liberty linebacker Tyren Dupree in a drill at Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean takes a snap from Wisconsin guard Michael Furtney prior to Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean keeps the ball in Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean drops back during a pass-blocking drill in Hula Bowl practice at Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World
Henry Greenstein/Journal-World