photo by: Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics

Kansas offensive lineman Logan Brown (52) prepares to block against TCU on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

As the college football postseason draws on, more and more former Jayhawks are earning opportunities to display their potential for professional football scouts.

The Senior Bowl announced on Thursday that Kansas offensive tackle Logan Brown had accepted an invitation to participate. In addition, safety O.J. Burroughs will take part in the Tropical Bowl, according to its organizer.

Brown was one of just a couple Jayhawks to announce they were foregoing additional collegiate eligibility to pursue professional football. In his first season as a full-time starter and his sixth overall year of collegiate play — he could potentially have claimed a seventh using a medical waiver — Brown locked down KU’s right-tackle spot and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors, plus an honorable mention for the title of Big 12 offensive lineman of the year.

Brown didn’t play in the final game of the season but saw 667 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, compared to 485 throughout the rest of his career, which he had begun at Wisconsin as one of the nation’s top offensive line prospects. Brown was dismissed from the Badgers midway through the 2022 season and transferred to KU, but missed all but two games of his first season in Lawrence due to injury.

He initially seemed set to play left tackle for the Jayhawks but ended up switching sides with Bryce Cabeldue and becoming one of the top tackles in the conference.

Brown had previously been announced on Monday as a participant in the East-West Shrine Bowl, but will instead join teammate Devin Neal at the Senior Bowl. The game takes place in Mobile, Alabama, on Feb. 1.

Cabeldue and cornerback Mello Dotson are slated to take part in the Shrine Bowl, which is set for Jan. 30 in Arlington, Texas. Neal and Dotson also recently shared that they had been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins in Indianapolis at the end of February.

The Tropical Bowl, for its part, will announce its full roster on Jan. 12, a week ahead of game day at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. However, Tropical Bowl President Mike Quartey told the Journal-World via email on Monday that this year’s roster includes Burroughs, a fixture of the Lance Leipold era as a longtime contributor at free safety.

Burroughs, who attended high school in Florida at IMG Academy, went on to start 26 of a possible 50 games during his four years in Lawrence. He finished his career with five interceptions and two forced fumbles. In his final season, he set career highs with 64 total tackles and seven pass deflections.

The Hula Bowl, which is the first major college all-star game of the postseason and takes place on Jan. 11 at UCF’s FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida, has not yet announced any participants from KU. There are many more draft-eligible Jayhawks with professional aspirations who have not yet locked in an all-star appearance, headlined by cornerback Cobee Bryant.

photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas safety O.J. Burroughs (5) intercepts a pass intended for TCU wide receiver JP Richardson (7) during the first half of an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

Another Shrine Bowl

The Kansas Shrine Bowl, an in-state high school all-star game featuring graduating seniors, announced its rosters on Wednesday morning, and several future Jayhawks are on the initial teams, an indication of some of the progress KU has made with in-state recruiting.

Incoming freshmen Bryson Hayes, a wide receiver from Maize, and Brandon Schmelzle, a safety from Axtell, are featured on the West and East teams, respectively.

The East team also includes Conlee Hovey of Louisburg, who recently announced his commitment to KU as a tight end (he will be a walk-on), although the Shrine Bowl lists him as a defensive lineman.

Another East defensive lineman, Cru Huenfeld from Saint Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park, is signed to play baseball at KU, where he will be a first baseman or left-handed pitcher.

Of course, inclusion on the initial rosters is no guarantee these players will end up taking part in the game in Dodge City on June 21.