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UCF DC Randy Shannon: Decision of players to skip bowl games could carry over into NFL
By Paul Harvey
Published:
As more and more players are deciding to skip bowl games, UCF defensive coordinator Randy Shannon weighed in on the topic ahead of the Fiesta Bowl.
The Knights are getting set to take on LSU with a shot at another undefeated season on the line. On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will be missing Greedy Williams who is sitting out the game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
When addressing the issue of players sitting out bowl games, Shannon indicated that he believes such a mindset could carry over into the NFL. Josh Weinfuss with ESPN shared Shannon’s comments:
“My opinion, it probably will fester more and more in college. And then now the NFL is going to have to make a decision,” Shannon said. “If you draft a young man that leaves early and now you’re not a playoff team, that young man [is] going to say, ‘I’m not going to play.’ Same situation.”
Shannon went on to question whether these same players would “tank” NFL games late in the season if the playoffs were out of reach.
It will be interesting to see how the trend of players sitting out bowl games continues to develop in the years to come and whether or not it impacts the action in the NFL. However, it is hard to argue with these players when millions of dollars could be on the line.
How do you feel about players sitting out bowl games?
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.