5 Notable Kinder’s Texas Bowl Standouts
They had varying degrees of success in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl, but here are some of the more notable NFL names who have starred in the annual December classic at NRG Stadium.
The Kinder’s Texas Bowl is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year, and the bowl game has seen it’s fair share of luminaries hit the field over the last two decades. Some wound up playing professionally in the same spot, others will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and dozens have gone on to fruitful NFL careers. In no particular order, here are a handful of notable names to have appeared in the annual Houston classic.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech – The 3-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs played for the Red Raiders against LSU in the 2015 Texas Bowl. Although Texas Tech fell that evening, Mahomes tossed a quartet of touchdown passes and finished with 370 yards through the air against a stingy Tigers defense.
Running back Leonard Fournette, LSU – While Mahomes was shining in the pass game that 2015 night, Fournette was ripping up the Red Raider defense on the ground. When the proverbial dust settled, the eventual Super Bowl champ finished with five scores. Fournette caught a 44-yard touchdown, ran for four others, and ultimately carried 29 times for 212 yards. He was named the game’s MVP.
Defensive end Myles Garrett, Texas A&M – In eight NFL seasons, Garrett’s amassed 102.5 sacks for the Browns. A 1st-team All-Pro in four of the last five years, Garrett was a star for the Aggies in college. He and Texas A&M dropped a close one to Kansas State in the 2016 contest, but just four months later, his name was called first overall by Cleveland in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Defensive end Whitney Mercilus, Illinois – He was the Texans’ first-round selection in 2012, but before that in 2010, he helped the Illini to a runaway triumph over Baylor. Mercilus tallied a tackle for loss in addition to another one, and then led the nation with 16 sacks the next season. An All-American for Illinois that year after the Texas Bowl win, Mercilus became one of the finest defenders in Texans history, starting 102 games and tallying 57 sacks for Houston.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M – The MVP of the 2011 Texas Bowl, Tannehill completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 329 and a score in the Aggies’ Texas Bowl win over Northwestern. The following spring, Miami picked him eighth overall in the NFL Draft. In an 11-year NFL career, Tannehill went to a Pro Bowl, passed for nearly 35,000 yards, and guided his teams to an 81-70 record.
The 2025 Kinder’s Texas Bowl takes place on December 27, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. CT.
Join the waitlist so you don’t miss out on tickets and suite opportunities!
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