HBCU Legacy Bowl: Givens & Hunter Selected As All-Star Game's First Players For 2026

CKELBY GIVENS

Ckelby Givens, a defensive lineman from Southern University, has been selected for Team Robinson. Givens was named the 2025 Preseason SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior, he started all 13 games during the 2024 season, finishing with 73 tackles, an FCS-high 27.5 tackles for loss (TFLs), 12 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, and three forced fumbles. 

ERICK HUNTER

Erick Hunter, a linebacker from Morgan State University, has been selected for Team Gaither. After earning numerous accolades during the 2024 preseason, Hunter missed a significant portion of the season due to injury. This year, he was named the Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and has made an impressive start to his 2025 campaign, recording 20 tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup.

The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Partners of the game include Allstate, the National Football League, adidas, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the New Orleans Saints, 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Riddell, as well as NFL players Terron Armstead, Aaron Donald, Patrick Mahomes, Bobby Wagner and Jameis Winston.

About the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl 

The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame, is a premier postseason all-star showcase featuring the top NFL draft-eligible players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Taking place Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium and airing live on NFL Network, the Legacy Bowl goes beyond football — serving as the centerpiece of a week-long celebration of Black history and culture, delivering unparalleled exposure for HBCU students and featuring the nation’s largest HBCU Career Fair.

Follow at www.HBCULegacyBowl.com and on social media via @HBCULegacyBowl.

About the Black College Football Hall of Fame

The Black College Football Hall of Fame, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, located at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio was founded in 2009 by African American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. There are 124 Inductees including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame has awarded over $450,000 in direct support to HBCUs and HBCU scholarships since inception. Other major initiatives include the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, the Ozzie Newsome GM & Quarterback Summit (in partnership with the NFL), as well as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic (in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame).

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