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Limited non-playoff bowl game opt-outs is a staple of Alabama football's culture

Most programs experience a lot of opt-outs for non-playoff bowl games. It has become a staple of Alabama football's culture in the few instances the Crimson Tide has missed the playoff for opt-outs to be limited and the projected high draft picks to play.

By John Mitchell

Dec 31, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) hugs Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (31) after the 2022 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Alabama defeated Kansas State 45-20. Both players opted to play in the game which is likely the last in each man's college career. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) hugs Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (31) after the 2022 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Alabama defeated Kansas State 45-20. Both players opted to play in the game which is likely the last in each man's college career. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
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Once opting out of a bowl game became commonplace, most programs that missed the College Football Playoff would see players opt out of the game, particularly those expected to be selected early in the NFL Draft.

At Alabama, however, that was never the case under Nick Saban in the two seasons the Tide missed the playoff following opt-out culture taking over. And, under Kalen DeBoer, it looks like that tradition will continue.

When Alabama lost to Auburn in 2019 to miss the College Football Playoff, the expectation was that a lot of players were going to opt-out. It was the first time in the playoff era that the Crimson Tide had been left out of the field.

Instead, 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.

Ultimately, Alabama routed Michigan 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl.

Three years later, Alabama missed the College Football Playoff in 2022, finishing No. 5 in the final committee rankings. 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 pics in the 2023 draft - decided they were playing, nobody else was going to opt-out.

Alabama dominated Kansas State 45-20 in New Orleans with an intact roster.

Things are different now with the proliferation of the Transfer Portal. Alabama will have some players who already left the team to explore their options. Guys like Caleb Odom, Kendrick Law, and Kobe Prentice.

But in terms of NFL draft decisions, guys like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, and Jihaad Campbell, all of whom are likely to go pro, are all expected to play against Michigan to finish what they started.

The culture at Alabama was built by Saban. And to be clear, all of those guys are Saban recruits. So it remains to be seen if the culture will be that strong once the team is made up strictly of DeBoer's guys. But the culture is why Alabama has had the amount of success it has had in the past 17 years. That doesn't happen by accident.

The first step for DeBoer in that department. Sustaining it will determine whether he's the right guy long-term.

Next. Alabama can only blame itself . Alabama can only blame itself for missing the CFP. dark

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