UNH football's Dylan Laube, with NFL dreams, 'honored' to be chosen for Senior Bowl

DURHAM — There are good problems to have, and University of New Hampshire standout senior running back Dylan Laube was recently presented with such a scenario.

Last week, Laube was invited to play in February's East-West Shrine Bowl. Then, a few days later, the 5-foot-10, 208-pound running back was also invited to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl. Both games highlight some of the best senior college football players across the country ahead of the annual NFL Draft.

The Shrine game is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1 in Texas, and the Senior Bowl is two days later, Feb. 3, in Alabama. Laube, like all players invited to play in both games, had to make a choice.

Laube said it was a tough decision, and was honored to even have a choice, but, he elected to play in the Senior Bowl.

"Both games are very prestigious," Laube said. "I think overall, the competition level at the (Senior Bowl) is definitely a little bit better. I love the Shrine Bowl, too, but I think at the end of the day, I'll have a better chance of showing everyone who I am at the Senior Bowl. That's really ultimately how I came to my conclusion; I want to play against the best of the best."

UNH, which plays at the FCS level in the Colonial Athletic Association, goes into its final game of the season on Saturday against the University of Maine with a 5-5 record. The Wildcats' lone game against a school from the higher FBS level this season came in Week 2, a 45-42 loss at Central Michigan.

Laube called getting invited to play in both games, especially coming from a FCS program like UNH, was a "huge honor."

"These are the top two games," Laube said. "Not a lot of FCS guys get a chance to play in these games. I (was invited) to play in both. Ultimately, it was a tough choice."

What Laube hopes to accomplish in Senior Bowl

While Laube has showed how versatile he is in the passing game this season, he wants to showcase his ability to run the ball.

"In my heart, I love being a running back, so I think I want to showcase more of a running back style," Laube said. "I showed that more last year than this year. I kind of want to bring that back and say, 'Hey, I'm still a really good running back.'"

One NFL running back Laube is a fan of and watches film on is Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey had his NFL record of scoring a touchdown in 17 straight games end in Sunday's win at Jacksonville.

"We actually watch his film all the time," Laube said. "We'll just put on his clips and (watch) how he hits the hole, how he runs the ball, and how he catches the ball."

Laube fulfills lifetime dream

Laube said it has been a personal goal of his to play in either the East/West Shrine Bowl or the Senior Bowl for a long time.

"You see those games on TV and say 'OK, that's my dream to be in that game,' " Laube said. "You don't realize until you get to that point that 'hey, I can actually go to the game now.' Once again, it's a wild experience and this was definitely a huge goal of mine."

Laube will play in his final game as a Wildcat on Saturday against rival Maine in the annual Border Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket game. UNH, coming off a 9-4 record in 2022, will not play in the postseason this year.

This season Laube has team highs in several categories this season. Those include rushing yards (715), receiving yards (699), receptions (68), rushing touchdowns (nine), receiving touchdowns (seven), and total touchdowns (16). Laube, a Westhampton, New York native, has 43 career touchdowns.

"I think everybody kind of has their personal goals," Laube said. "Of course I have team goals, but those personal goals are definitely always in the back of my mind. I think that's kind of important for a player to have their own personal goals, and to strive for those goals. If it's being an All-American, all-conference, going to the bowl game, going to the NFL. I think it's super important to have those goals to reach."

Laube rushed for more than 100 yards in two games this season — 180 in a win over Dartmouth and 132 in a 45-33 loss to Villanova. He also cracked 100 receiving yards twice; 295 in the close loss against Central Michigan, and 128 in a 34-28 overtime loss to Rhode Island.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: UNH football star Dylan Laube to play in 2024 Senior Bowl