Ad Disclosure
Karan Higdon says Jim Harbaugh wasn’t thrilled with players sitting out of Peach Bowl
Published:
Jim Harbaugh might respect players’ decisions to sit out of bowl games, but he’s still wrestling with the concept, according to former Michigan running back Karan Higdon.
Higdon was one of a handful of Wolverines who chose to sit out of Michigan’s Peach Bowl matchup against Florida. Defensive lineman Rashan Gary, linebacker Devin Bush and offensive lineman Juwann Bushell-Beatty also opted to skip the game. Michigan dropped a 41-15 contest to the Gators in Atlanta.
The running back said that Harbaugh respected the decision he and his teammates made, but that the head coach was too pleased about it.
“That’s not his favorite decision,” Higdon told MLive.com. “He has a job as a head coach to win and wants all of these guys to help him win. He wasn’t happy about it, but he respected it.
“At the end of the day, he can’t grab us and force us to get out on the field. But I think he has enough respect for us as players and the contributions we’ve had to the team, he’ll respect it.”
Skipping bowl games has become a trend in college football, particularly for early NFL Draft entrants. It’s grown in popularity with the development of the College Football Playoff and the notion that other bowl games aren’t quite as meaningful as before.
Coaches are still grappling with the idea of players missing bowl games, but some have come around quicker than others. But as it becomes more frequent, coaches will get more used to the process.
While Harbaugh may not like it, there’s really not much he’s able to do to force players to participate in the bowl game. It’s good that he’s at least respecting these decisions.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB