The National Football League today unveiled its plans for the top HBCU student finalists who participated in the 2nd annual Madden NFL 22 x HBCU Tournament with a once-in-a-lifetime experience during Super Bowl LVI week. Students will journey to Los Angeles for a week filled with job shadowing opportunities and events with the NFL as well as the finals competition of the Madden NFL 22 x HBCU tournament. To conclude the week, each student finalist will receive a ticket to attend Super Bowl LVI, on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium. The Madden NFL 22 x HBCU Tournament is driven by the NFL's commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in both traditional sports and esports.
Throughout the week, the NFL Football Development team will host the student finalists inviting them to learn the business side of football at a variety of events and activations, including the Play Football Stakeholders Breakfast, the High School Girls NFL FLAG Exhibition, the Play Football Family Festival, and Super Bowl Experience. Students will receive valuable career advice from NFL executives and key stakeholders while also participating in immersive job training.
As a lead up to the finals competition, Eric "ThatGuyDJ" Minor from Claflin University and Rodney "RockoTuff" McKay from Virginia Union University will appear on NFL Total Access during the program's February 8 broadcast at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network to talk about their experience in the tournament.
Fans are encouraged to tune in on February 12 at 3 p.m. ET on the NFL
YouTube or
Twitch channels to find out if Minor or McKay will take home the Madden NFL 22 x HBCU title. Both will be competing for the Championship title from the NFL's west coast headquarters located next to SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, home of Super Bowl LVI. Minor is a senior computer science major from Suffolk, Va.
This year's tournament features NFL partner prizing including Microsoft Surface Pro X tablets, in addition to other official League products.
The NFL partnered with GCN (Gaming Community Network), a
GameSquare Esports company that manages the online qualifiers, including registration and online tournament execution, player communications, competitive integrity, and the professional broadcast on February 12.