Five Former Independence Bowl Players Drafted in 2022 NFL Draft

UAB defensive end Alex Wright chases BYU quarterback Baylor Romney in the 2021 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. (Photo: Steve Mauldin/Independence Bowl)

SHREVEPORT, La. (May 2, 2022) – One of the biggest annual offseason events, the 2022 NFL Draft, took place in Las Vegas this past weekend, and five former Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl players heard their names called during the seven-round draft.

Entering the weekend, 73 Independence Bowl alumni had been drafted in the first round of the draft over the bowl’s first 45 years, and that number will hold for one more year, as there were no former Independence Bowl players selected in the first 32 picks. Former Temple edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie just missed out on becoming the latest first round selection, as he was taken with the sixth pick of the second round and 38th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. Ebiketie appeared in the 2018 Independence Bowl for Temple prior to eventually transferring to Penn State after the 2020 season.

Two players were drafted during the second and third rounds on day two of the draft, while three more were selected from rounds five through seven on day three. The five players drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft as follows:

• Arnold Ebiketie (Edge – Temple, 2018): 2nd round (38th overall) to the Atlanta Falcons
• Alex Wright (DE – UAB, 2021): 3rd round (78th overall) to the Cleveland Browns
• Tyler Allgeier (RB – BYU, 2021): 5th round (181st overall) to the Falcons
• Jonathan Ford (DE – Miami, 2019): 7th round (234th overall) to the Green Bay Packers
• Brittain Brown (RB – Duke, 2018): 7th round (250th overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders

The five selected players hailed from five different former Independence Bowl teams, as Temple, UAB, BYU, Miami and Duke each saw one former Independence Bowl participant drafted. Wright, Allgeier and Ford all finished their college careers with the teams they played for in the Independence Bowl. Ebiketie transferred to Penn State, while Brown transferred from Duke to UCLA prior to the 2021 season.

Allgeier had the best Independence Bowl performance off all the selections, as he ranks fourth in Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl history in single-game rushing yards (192 yards) and third in single-game yards from scrimmage (204). Wright had four total tackles in UAB’s upset win over BYU in 2021. Ford had three total tackles for Miami against Louisiana Tech in 2019, while Brown had five carries for 20 yards in 2018 for Duke. Ebiketie appeared in the 2018 contest for Temple but did not record any statistics.

No matter the round drafted in, former Independence Bowl players have enjoyed great success in the NFL throughout the bowl’s years and recent history. As of the end of April, 42 former Independence Bowl players had signed contracts this season totaling over $289 million.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™:

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is the nation’s 11th-oldest bowl game. The UAB Blazers defeated the No. 13 BYU Cougars 31-28 in the 45th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 18, 2021. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies – ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference and team agreements, as well as the television agreement, also run through the 2025 season. Army West Point and BYU are slated to matchup against a rotation of the Pac-12 Conference, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA, which will be televised on an ESPN network.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.