Tag: opt out

The Heisman Trophy winner will not play in ReliaQuest Bowl vs Wisconsin

The Heisman Trophy winner will not play in ReliaQuest Bowl vs Wisconsin

Wisconsin is dodging a bullet, if you’re heavily invested in the result of the ReliaQuest Bowl between the Badgers and No. 13 LSU Tigers. LSU star quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels announced yesterday he was forgoing the game to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

This would’ve been the second matchup between Daniels and the Badgers, the first being the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl when he was at Arizona State. In today’s era of the College Football Playoff and bowl-game opt-outs, this news shouldn’t come as a big surprise.

LSU will now turn to redshirt sophomore Garrett Nussmeier to start the January 1 contest.

Nussmeier has appeared in 17 games over three years at LSU. He’s tallied a 56.3 completion percentage, 1325 yards, 7.6 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns and six interceptions.

While Daniels is out, Nussmeier will still be throwing to top wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., as head coach Brian Kelly recently said both will play.

Wisconsin starting cornerback opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl to prepare for NFL Draft

Wisconsin CB opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl to prepare for NFL Draft

Wisconsin cornerback Jason Maitre announced on Instagram yesterday he is opting out of Wisconsin’s ReliaQuest Bowl matchup with LSU and will prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Maitre transferred to Wisconsin after five years at Boston College. He played in all 12 of the Badgers’ regular season games, totaling 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and three pass breakups.

“To Badger Nation, there is nowhere like Madison and I am blessed to be able to wear that motion ‘W’ for the rest of my life,” Maitre wrote. “With that being said, after a lot of thought, prayer and talks with my family, I have decided to forgo the bowl game and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.”

Wisconsin’s updated cornerback depth chart for the bowl game now includes Ricardo Hallman, Nyzier Fourqurean, Alexander Smith and Jonas Duclona.

Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. are expected play in Allstate Sugar Bowl

Alabama to have all hands on deck for the Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats!

It was almost a foregone conclusion by most analysts that [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide would be competing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl without some of its star players.

It is now being reported that Alabama will not be experiencing any opt-outs including stars [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Anderson Jr.[/autotag] who are both projected as top-five picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

Ever since the college football playoff era has been around, most teams that missed out on the playoffs have experienced opt-outs from some of its top players.

Young and Anderson are making quite a statement about their commitment to the Crimson Tide and their teammates by competing in the Sugar Bowl.

Chris Low of ESPN made the announcement on Twitter earlier this afternoon.

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Which Alabama players could sit out of a bowl game if Tide misses CFP?

Which Crimson Tide stars may decide to sit out of a bowl game if Alabama misses the College Football Playoff?

Alabama’s two losses in the 2022 regular season with one game left to go have Crimson Tide fans frustrated and in a desperate search for answers. For just about any other program in the nation, the possibility of ending the year with a 10-2 record would be something straight out of a dream.

Though it’s not likely, Alabama still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.

If the Crimson Tide misses out on the playoff, for only the second time since 2014, then the team will play in a featured bowl game.

Because the bowl game wouldn’t have championship implications, some players may elect to sit out to ensure their health to put themselves in the best possible position for the 2023 NFL draft.

Fans and media members may complain about players opting out of bowl games, but can we blame these players?

Let’s go back in time to earlier in 2022 when Jameson Williams tore his ACL in the national championship game against Georgia. The former Crimson Tide star receiver has still yet to play in an NFL game and only recently was allowed to return to practice.

Injuries can happen to anybody at any time regardless of the situation or context of the game. If there isn’t a championship on the line, should these players risk millions of dollars on an injury?

A recent article from 247Sports named key players from top programs across the country who could reasonably opt out of their team’s bowl game.

“The primary players to watch are Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr., but there are certainly others for the Crimson Tide — including Jordan Battle, Brian Branch, Malachi Moore and Jahmyr Gibbs — who may choose to sit for this team’s New Year’s Six appearance in favor of getting an early start on the 2023 NFL Draft. For elite projected first-rounders like Young and Anderson, the decision is becoming easier for players during the postseason who are not competing for a national championship.”

These players have been vital to Alabama’s success in recent seasons and key to flashes of brilliance on both sides of the ball in 2022. If the team misses the CFP, the Iron Bowl could be the last time any of these players take the field as a member of the Crimson Tide.

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LSU running back Ty Davis-Price declares for the NFL draft

Ty Davis-Price makes a decision on his future.

When the LSU Tigers take the field in Houston, Texas, for their bowl game they will do so without their leading rusher. On Friday, Tyrion Davis-Price announced that he would forego the bowl game and his senior year to prepare for the NFL draft.

TDP tallied 379 carries for 1,745 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons. He also caught 28 passes for 185 yards. Davis-Price also set the school record for rushing yards in a game with 287 against the Florida Gators earlier this year. He announced his decision on Twitter.

This year after a slow start, Davis-Price built momentum against Kentucky and Florida to get to the 1,000-yard mark this year. He becomes the third Tiger to opt-out and prepare for the draft along with Damone Clark and Neil Farrell Jr.

Corey Kiner will likely be the lead back when they officially take the field in the Texas Bowl. The freshman running back tallied 271 yards on 65 carries and two touchdowns in a relief effort this season. The team also has Armoni Goodwin, Tre Bradford, and Josh Williams on the roster to run the football.

TDP’s decision could push John Emery Jr to be the feature back in the Brian Kelly offense for the 2022 season.

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Arizona State’s second-leading tackler opts out of the Las Vegas Bowl

Arizona State’s second-leading tackler opts out of the Las Vegas Bowl

The Arizona State team we see in Las Vegas will not quite be the one that went 8-4 this season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is still set to lead the offense and leading tackler Kyle Soelle is still set to lead a strong defensive unit.

What will be different, though, is numerous of Arizona State’s top performers have either opted out of the bowl game or are injured.

The most recent opt-out came last night: second-leading tackler, starting linebacker Darien Butler—a player who recorded 68 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 passes defended this regular season.

Here is an updated list of the players the Sun Devils will be without in the Las Vegas Bowl:

  • Leading rusher Rachaad White (NFL Draft)
  • Running back DeaMonte Trayanum (transfer portal)
  • Starting C Dohnovan West (injury)
  • Starting CB Chase Lucas (NFL Draft)
  • Starting CB Jack Jones (NFL Draft)
  • Starting LB Darien Butler (NFL Draft)

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No NFL players opted out of playing in 2021 due to COVID-19

The Lions had 3 of the 66 players who opted out in 2020

Last year saw the global COVID-19 pandemic impact the NFL in many ways. One was the ability for players who had health or family concerns to opt out of playing without any penalty.

A full 66 players around the league opted out. That includes three Detroit Lions players: WR Geronimo Allison, DT John Atkins and OL Russell Bodine. Their contracts paused for a year while they sat out with permission.

While Atkins and Bodine are no longer in Detroit, Allison returns for his first season with the Lions. And like the other 65 players who opted out, Allison will indeed suit up for the 2021 season. No players file the required paperwork with the NFL to opt out of the coming season by the deadline, which was last Friday.

The vaccination rate among players and staffers around the league, as well as downgraded regulations and restrictions from local authorities around the country, have led all the players to feel secure enough about the COVID-19 risk to play in 2021.

NFL COVID-19 opt-out deadline set for July 2

The Lions had 3 players opt out in 2020

While the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are being eased around the country, the threat of the coronavirus is still present. Because of that lingering threat, NFL players can once again opt out of playing for the 2021 season.

The league set a deadline for players to decide if they want to sit out due to the risk of COVID-19. Players have until 4 p.m. ET on Friday, July 2 to inform their teams if they plan to opt out for the coming season.

Any players who are deemed high risk for COVID and opt out will be eligible for a $350,000 stipend, the same as for 2020. However, the $150,000 stipend for voluntary opt-outs that was in play a year ago is now removed.

The Lions had three players opt out in 2020: WR Geronimo Allison, OL Russell Bodine and DT John Atkins. A total of 67 players around the league opted out last season.

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Few Saints players have much to lose by opting out of voluntary workouts

With voluntary workout opt-outs on the rise around the NFL, few New Orleans Saints players have contract bonuses factoring into their choice

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With the COVID-19 pandemic persisting and many NFL players unsatisfied by offseason health and safety protocols, the decision to opt out of April’s upcoming voluntary workouts has started to pick up momentum around the league. Denver Broncos players first announced their choice through the NFL players union (though the call wasn’t unanimous), followed by the Seattle Seahawks and now the Detroit Lions. Could the Saints join them?

There isn’t much financial incentive to attend. Just four Saints players have workout bonuses written into their contracts: wide receiver Michael Thomas ($200,000), defensive end Cameron Jordan ($100,000), and running back Latavius Murray and kicker Wil Lutz ($50,000 each). Three of those players have already received bonuses after restructuring their contracts, and Murray is due the highest base salary of the bunch ($2.95 million) this season. There’s little financial incentive to attend for the majority of the roster.

With that said, it’s not all about the money involved. Multiple starting jobs are up for grabs this summer, and this could be an opportunity for younger players lower on the depth chart to get an early look with coaches, maybe giving them a leg up once mandatory training camp practices kick off in July.

The Saints have typically reported great attendance at these voluntary training sessions before and after the NFL draft, but everything is different with the coronavirus still hanging over us. For now, the Saints’ players have not announced a decision one way or another.

Still, it’s a complicated issue. The NFL cannot force players and everyone else at the facility to get vaccinated, though the league has encouraged and incentivized it, and only vaccinated fans can attend Buffalo Bills home games this fall, which might begin its own trend around the NFL. We’ll see. Until everyone is on the same page, there’s only going to be more uncertainty.

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Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jamie Newman to opt out of 2020 season

With Newman gone, the division race feels wide open again and Georgia’s season likely rests on a young quarterback coming off a knee injury.

The race for the 2020 SEC football conference title just got a little bit more interesting, as Georgia quarterback and presumed starter Jamie Newman announced that he will opt out of the 2020 season to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft.

Newman joined the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, where he was one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC in 2019, tossing 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions with 2,868 yards.

His departure likely leaves redshirt sophomore J.T. Daniels as the presumed starter. Daniels is a former five-star recruit who started as a true freshman at USC in 2018, throwing for 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He entered the 2019 season as the Trojans’ starter, but he tore his ACL in the season-opener, and after a solid season from his replacement Kedon Slovis, he elected to transfer to the SEC.

Behind Daniels are Carson Beck, a four-star true freshman from Jacksonville who chose UGA over UF, as well as redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and redshirt junior Stetson Bennett.

Despite losing its starting quarterback, running back, multiple offensive linemen and several defensive starters, many pundits liked the Bulldogs to beat the Gators and win the SEC East for the fourth-straight season.

But with Newman gone, the division race feels wide open again, and Georgia’s season likely rests on a young quarterback coming off a knee injury.

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