Bowl Game Opt-Outs Spark Fury as Ex-Coach Urges Kalen DeBoer to Enforce Tough Consequences on Alabama Players

This time of year often sees college football players opting out of bowl games, especially those with a clear path to the NFL. For Alabama, however, the picture has been promising, thanks to Nick Saban’s magic. In the two seasons, the Tide missed the playoff during his tenure (2019 and 2022), that has never been a problem. In 2019, only a couple of guys who had battled injuries throughout their careers – Trevon Diggs and Terrell Lewis – opted out. First-round picks like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jedrick Wills all played. So did second-rounders Xavier McKinney and Raekwon Davis. The same happened in 2022 as well.

Nobody from that team opted out of the Sugar Bowl against Kansas State. Once Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. – the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the 2023 draft – decided they were playing, nobody else was going to opt-out. But with the Saban factor absent, will the same tradition continue in the Crimson Tide squad?

Well, the new man at the helm of affairs- Kalen DeBoer, is positive about it. “What I feel right now, and I’m not saying there won’t be one, but I feel like right now we’re in a place where most of those guys are planning on playing. I don’t care what round they’re planning on going in. And you know, we’ll see. But that’s my early understanding,” DeBoer said just days back. But with guys like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, and Jihaad Campbell, all of whom are likely to go pro, there is every reason to doubt player participation. In fact, the Michigan vs. Alabama Reliaquest Bowl on December 31 is already being dubbed The “Opt-out Bowl!” And former coach Jason Brown is furious about it.

Brown voiced his frustration with these opt-outs on The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty on December 10. The former Indy Pirates coach passionately argued that players who opt out, particularly after NIL deals, are making a business decision that goes against their commitment to the program. He said, “I pay you on a NIL deal or not. It’s a f–kin business decision that you play my games because I just f–kin paid you nil money to come to my school, then you owe me just like a professional show up to work every f–kin day until his clock is over. You pay for every game. I paid you for f–kin period point blank.”

The coach didn’t hold back in his criticism. He told DeBoer to impose stricter penalties on players who sit out, arguing that the excuses for not playing — like the risk of injury — were unacceptable. “Stop with the f–kin excuses as to why these dudes deserve to sit out because they’re gonna get hurt. No, I deserve not to pay you then,” he said, clearly frustrated with the notion that players might skip games to avoid injury ahead of the NFL Draft. He continued by pointing out the inconsistency in players’ attitudes.

“These kids believe they’re grown men and experts on one side, but on the other side, they don’t want to acknowledge they’re still amateurs.” The former coach made it clear that if players didn’t want to participate in the bowl game, they shouldn’t be getting paid. “Stop, they’re professionals. Then f–kin finish the job till your game’s done, period, or I pull my NIL money. And the second thing is, don’t pay them until the Bowl Game season is done,” he emphasized. Brown’s ire is not completely without reason. Remember what happened to Florida last year?

Almost two-dozen Florida State players declined to play in the Orange Bowl, an eventual 63-3 loss to Georgia. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart expressed sympathy for the Seminoles and their fans after the game, saying that “people need to look what happened tonight and they need to fix this.” The point is, like Brown asked for, college football’s new NIL rules could play a role in fixing this.

In May, Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli had said he discussed changing NIL standards with NCAA president Charlie Baker, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “If you sign a contract and receive compensation, you’re obligated to perform certain duties—in this case, play 12 regular-season games and a bowl game or a bowl game and the playoff. That’s logical to expect. It’s the way the rest of us working folks operate,” Carparelli said, according to Dinich.

This plan would involve universities bringing NIL collectives “in house,” Carparelli had indicated. Fiesta Bowl executive director and chief executive Erik Moses also had talked about a contractual obligation to force players to suit up for bowl games. “You want to see the best guys play, and I think the only way we get to that is through a collective bargaining agreement and employment contracts that require you to play in the postseason if you’re healthy,” Moses had said.

Interestingly, as reports indicate, fewer players will likely skip 2024 bowl games. Because According to league insiders, if players opt out of the Bowl games, they may not receive the final payment from the NIL deals signed with their respective schools. They revealed that many of the NIL contracts have a final payment date on December 31. The payments for those players come from the collective, the monet pool used by each school to pay NIL deals. Opting out of a bowl game could cost many player a paycheck of $25000 to $50000 based on their deals. But amid all these, see what Michigan’s coach, Sherrone Moore has to say about the opt-outs.

Michigan’s head coach wants “to be there” for his players

For the second time in the year 2024, Michigan football is preparing for a football game against Alabama. Though it doesn’t have the same enthusiasm as when the two met on January 1, this year in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day with a spot in the national championship game on the line, (a game ultimately won 27-20 by U-M in OT), the question of pride is always there.

When Moore was asked about who will suit up for the Wolverines, the head coach said, “I support those guys who’ve done a lot for this program in their three years, four years here. And I’ll support them in any way. I want to be there for them. Love them. Care about them. Anything they need from me, I want to support them. Obviously, I want them to play in the game, but support their decisions and their family decisions.” Michigan has (at least) four projected first-round selections in next year’s NFL draft. And one of them is already out of the Bowl game.

Mason Graham, the defensive tackle’s agent Ryan Matha confirmed to the Free Press he has declared for the next level and will skip the bowl game. Graham finished his junior year with 45 tackles, seven of which went for a loss, 3½ sacks and a pass deflection as he was named first-team All-Big Ten by both media and coaches. A second-team All-American as a sophomore, Graham ends his collegiate career with 107 tackles, 17 for loss, nine sacks, three passes deflected, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and blocked kick. But what about others?

Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle, played in all 12 regular season games in 2024 and finished with 32 tackles including 6½ for loss, three sacks, five passes deflected and two fumble recoveries. Cornerback Will Johnson does not look to be hugely probable to play the Bowl game. The projected top-10 NFL draft pick missed U-M’s final five games, six games in total, as he either missed of left a game with injury eight times. Tight end, Colston Loveland is dealing with an undisclosed injury. But Moore didn’t address Loveland’s status when asked for an update.

For Alabama, set to face Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl, it’s a chance to see how DeBoer’s leadership and culture are shaping up in Tuscaloosa. The upcoming matchup promises to be an intriguing one, with both teams bringing plenty of talent and motivation to the field.