Ex-Arizona great Rob Gronkowski to host LA Bowl

Arizona football’s final season in the Pac-12 could culminate in playing in a bowl hosted by one of the school’s all-time greats.

Rob Gronkowski has signed a multiyear agreement as the new face of the LA Bowl - now named the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk. The former Arizona tight end replaces Jimmy Kimmel as host.

The LA Bowl will be held Dec. 16 at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The game will feature the No. 5 selection from the Pac-12 and the top selection from the Mountain West.

Arizona, at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play, is currently on track to potentially earn a bid to the game. The Wildcats are sixth in the Pac-12 standings heading into next week’s matchup with No. 12 Oregon State.

Gronkowski told Good Morning America that hosting a bowl game is a “full circle moment” having played in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl in college with his brother Chris. That game also pitted a Pac-12 squad against the Mountain West’s top team. Arizona beat No. 16 BYU 28-18 behind three touchdowns from Willie Tuitama, including a 31-yard touchdown to Chris Gronkowski.

The Las Vegas Bowl put an end to a 10-year bowl drought for the program.

Arizona is looking to end another bowl drought this season. The Wildcats’ last bowl appearance was the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl, which they lost to Purdue 38-35.

Arizona needs two more wins to reach bowl eligibility.

“The whole goal is hopefully to land the University of Arizona,” Gronkowski told the Associated Press. “And if we can’t, there’s a lot of good teams in the Pac-12 that would be a great matchup no matter who it is,”