Army senior linebacker Kalib Fortner to participate in Hula Bowl game
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Army senior linebacker and co-captain Kalib Fortner will showcase his talents before professional football scouts this week at the 80th Hula Bowl. He is the 28th Army player invited to the Hula Bowl since 1956.
Long hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Hula Bowl will be held at Stetson University's Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand, Florida, on Saturday, January 10, at noon. The game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
Fortner has been a defensive mainstay for three seasons, making 39 starts and posting 232 career tackles. He started all 13 games in 2025, posting 83 tackles, including 7.5 for lost yardage. He was the defensive MVP of the 2023 Army-Navy Game, the 2024 Independence Bowl and the 2025 Fenway Bowl.
Nearly 120 seniors will participate in several days of workouts ahead of the game. The players will be split into two squads (Team Kai, Team Aina) for the game and coached by Jon Gruden and Jay Gruden. There will be plenty of scouts from NFL teams, as well as the Canadian Football League and United Football League. The players will also take part in one-on-one interviews with pro team personnel.
The Hula Bowl is just one of the major showcase events for graduating college seniors. Other games include the Jan. 22 American Bowl, Jan. 27 East-West Shrine Bowl and Jan. 31 Senior Bowl. Army senior slotback Noah Short has accepted an invitation to participate in the American Bowl.
Army has a long history of players participating in postseason all-star showcases. Right tackle Lucas Scott participated in the 2025 Hula Bowl week, later joining the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Scott also played tight end and right guard for Army, and was being tested as a fullback for the Ravens.
The most recent Black Knights at the Hula Bowl include linebacker Jon Rhattigan (2021); linebacker Cason Shrode (2007); guard Aaron Burger (2003); linebacker Lyle Weaver (2001); and, tackle Scott Kozak (2000).
Other recent all-star showcase participants include wide receiver Casey Reynolds (2025) and defensive back Bo Nicolas-Paul (2024) at the Tropical Bowl; linebacker Leo Lowin (2024) at the College Gridiron Showcase; linebacker Andre Carter (2023) and offensive lineman Brett Toth (2018) at the Senior Bowl; and, defensive lineman Nolan Cockrill (2021), defensive back Elijah Riley (2020), Toth (2017) and liinebacker Andrew King (2016) at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
The NFL will host its annual draft from April 23-25 — undrafted players often sign free agent deals and receive training camp invitations as soon as the draft concludes.
Nine Hula Bowl participants in 2025 were chosen in the ensuing NFL Draft: Arkansas wide receiver Isaac Teslaa (Lions, third round); Florida wide receiver Chimere Dike (Titans, fourth); Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (Bears, fourth); Arizona kicker Tyler Loop (Ravens, sixth); Rutgers defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton (Texans, seventh); Nevada safety Kitan Crawford (Cardinals, seventh); Central Michigan corner Donte Kent (Steelers, seventh); Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders, seventh); and, Florida safety Trikweze Bridges (Chargers, seventh).
The UFL (with its eight teams starting spring play on March 26) will conduct a private quarterback draft on January 9 and regional college allocation of players on January 10 — those selections will be released on January 12. The official UFL draft will be January 13-14. The CFL (with its nine teams starting play on June 4) will hold its draft in late April or early May.
Dating back to January 1947, the Hula Bowl was designated as an all-star game in 1960. It was moved to Florida in 2022.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army linebacker Kalib Fortner to participate in Hula Bowl
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