JQ Hardaway Accepts Invite to Hula Bowl

Kentucky senior defensive back JQ Hardaway has accepted an invitation to participate in the 80th annual Altrua HealthCare Hula Bowl, to be played January 10, 2026 in DeLand, Florida. He will join teammates Shiyazh Pete and Alex Wollschlaeger in the showcase.

Kickoff is at noon ET at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at HulaBowl.com.

Hardaway, from North Jackson, Ohio, has been a mainstay for Kentucky the past two seasons, starting 24 consecutive games at cornerback. The 6-foot-3, 193-pounder finished 2025 as the Wildcats’ fourth leading tackler with 59 total stops. He added 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and five pass breakups.

Hardaway spent three seasons in Lexington after transferring from Cincinnati. He appeared in 48 career games with 25 starts, totaling 141 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions and 13 pass breakups.

The Hula Bowl is the nation’s longest running college football all-star game dedicated to seniors, having debuted in 1946. The Hula Bowl is an event where all NFL, UFL and CFL teams will be represented by their top scouts during Hula Bowl week practices and players will have a unique opportunity for one-on-one interviews with teams. 120 of the top senior athletes will be selected to play.