Kansas football: Jayhawks quarterback Jason Bean accepts invitation to Hula Bowl

While Jason Bean technically ran out of eligibility after the Kansas football team defeated UNLV 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, he will wear a Jayhawk helmet one more time. The standout quarterback announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he would play in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 13 in Orlando, Florida.

The Hula Bowl's website describes it as the "Nation's Premier College Football All-Star Game." Hundreds of scouts from NFL, CFL, XFL, and USFL teams come to watch the participants, who could obtain increased draft stock with an impressive showing. Notable all-time players who have appeared in it include Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, Deion Sanders, Tony Dorsett, Eric Dickerson, and Drew Brees.

Bean started nine of the Jayhawks' 13 games in the 2023 season in his sixth and final year in NCAA football. The former North Texas signal-caller spent three seasons in Lawrence but had some historic moments with the Jayhawks. He conducted a game-winning drive to defeat then-No. 6 Oklahoma and threw for 449 yards and six touchdowns en route to KU's first bowl win in 15 years.

Although he had his ups and downs at the university, he cemented himself among the best Jayhawk quarterbacks ever this year. Bean finished his career at KU seventh in passing yards (4,662) and second in passing touchdowns (38). There is no doubt that he will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor in the near future.

Despite a 12-year hiatus, the Hula Bowl returned in 2020 and has since been moved from Honolulu, Hawaii to Orlando, Florida. It is an event deep-rooted in college football history, as the first edition was staged in 1947.

Kansas football fans can watch Bean play in the Hula Bowl in two weeks on Jan. 13. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CT on CBS Sports.