Bryce Young shares how his decision impacts future bowl opt-outs

When Alabama officially missed out on the College Football Playoff this season, most people assumed that key players like quarterback Bryce Young would opt out of the Sugar Bowl. After all, the emphasis at Alabama is winning national championships. If that isn’t on the table, shouldn’t players be taking care of themselves and protecting their NFL futures?

However, that’s not what Bryce Young, Will Anderson, and others chose to do for the Crimson Tide. Instead, they announced that they will play in the Sugar Bowl. Maybe this shouldn’t have been a surprise, given their competitive nature. but, given the trend in college football of players skipping bowl games, it was.

Bryce Young was asked if he thinks that his decision to play in the Sugar Bowl influenced anyone else, or if it could become a blueprint for players in the future.

“I guess, as far as the future goes, only time will tell,” Bryce Young said. “I feel like every individual case is different.”

Bryce Young explained that he can’t speak for anyone but himself. However, he doe think the culture at Alabama prevented the team from seeing a series of opt-outs.

“I only can speak for myself and what I felt like was what I wanted to do, what I felt called to do, but I really think that, as far as everyone on the team, that really just speaks to our culture. That speaks to the standard that we have–the culture that Coach Saban has built. I think it speaks to that, again. We all know coming in here every single day what the goal is, what our mission is, and what our standard is. So, for me, evaluating that, looking toward what I felt was the most important to me, this was the decision I came to.”

Alabama will play Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve. For the Alabama players, this game matters, and the decision to play is the best one for them in this moment.

“Whatever happens in the future happens in the future,” Bryce Young emphasized. “I think every individual case is different, for sure, but it was what was best for me. What I felt like was, you know, what I wanted to do. So, you know, really I think that speaks to the standard that Coach Saban has built here.”

Bryce Young says it was an easy decision to play in the Sugar Bowl

Playing in the Sugar Bowl was the right decision for Bryce Young at this moment. As he explained, this decision wasn’t a difficult one to make.

“It was just I wanted to finish with my teammates this season, again there’s been a lot of work, a lot that’s gone into this year and I just get another chance to play with my brothers, that’s really how I look at it. This is a great opportunity for us as a team, for me, for all of us and we’ve all had each other’s backs all year,” Bryce Young said.

“It’s been about accountability, about making sure that we’re holding ourselves to our standard and that’s words we all live by, that I live by. So for me it was easy, it’s another opportunity to go out there and play with my brothers.”