Alabama football: Nick Saban expects Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. to play in Sugar Bowl
Quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. are expected to play in the Sugar Bowl, Nick Saban said Friday. Both are projected to be top 2023 NFL Draft prospects.
It appears Alabama football won't have any players opt out of the Sugar Bowl, after all. Ahead of bowl practices, Saban told ESPN on Friday the Crimson Tide doesn't expect any players to opt out of the game on Dec. 31 (11 a.m., ESPN).
“I think Will and Bryce coming back to play in the game speaks volumes of the kind of culture we have in the program," Saban said in his news conference Friday night. "Guys like that wanting to try to improve themselves and have respect for their teammates to come back. They’re the leaders on the team, they’re the most inspirational players. That’s something that I think is very special as well."
Alabama (10-2) will face Big 12 champion Kansas State (10-3) in New Orleans.
This marks only the second time since the College Football Playoff started in 2014 that Alabama has found itself in the situation of players considering opt outs. The Crimson Tide also missed the four-team playoff field after the 2019 season, and veterans Trevon Diggs and Terrell Lewis opted out of the Citrus Bowl.
But neither were projected as high as Young and Anderson. Both have been listed as top-five draft prospects on many early boards released by ESPN and others.
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Saban has made clear, even without playoff implications, there’s still an opportunity for players to create value for themselves.
"We certainly have a great amount of appreciation and respect for the guys who are going to finish the season with the team, and we're going to do the best job we can to help put those guys in a position where they have a chance to be successful," Saban said when bowls were announced. "There will be some opportunity for some new guys, no question. But we're looking forward to the challenge."
Neither Young nor Anderson have much to gain for their draft profiles by playing in this game, though.
While opt-outs can be controversial, there's some logic behind them because of injury risks. Former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith played in the Fiesta Bowl in 2016 and tore his ACL. He was expected to be a first-round pick but fell to the second round because of the injury.
When the discussion of opting out was brought up in past years, Saban has discussed how he would respect and understand decisions to sit out bowl games without playoff implications.
"I kind of get it if you're a high first-round draft pick – (weighing) the money (available) and how you can protect and insure yourself – may make a business decision that says the risk is not worth the reward of playing in the game," Saban said in 2019. "But if you're not in that position, then you have an opportunity to showcase your talents and impress people with how you play in the (bowl) game. And that's pretty much what I told those guys, and it's their choice.”
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football: Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. to play in Sugar Bowl
