Nick Saban addresses whether or not Bryce Young, Will Anderson will play in Sugar Bowl

Now that Alabama knows its postseason fate, there’s only one question that matters in Tuscaloosa. What are the statuses of QB Bryce Young and edge Will Anderson Jr.? With both players weighing their NFL futures, Nick Saban says he’s still not sure if either will compete with the team against Kansas State.

During his press conference on Sunday, Saban says the Tide haven’t had a chance to speak with either player fully about their potential decisions. Both Young and Anderson Jr. worked out next week but neither has committed to playing for Alabama again later this month.

“(I) haven’t had the opportunity to talk to either one of those guys yet,” said Saban. “They participated in the workouts that we had last week. We’ll get our opportunity to talk to them at some point in time this week.”

Young and Anderson are both vital for Alabama as they’re the program’s stars on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Young has followed up his Heisman campaign in 2021 with Top-30 finishes nationally in yards (3,007), touchdowns (27), and QBR (83.7). Defensively, Anderson has dropped off from his 2021 season but still more than holds it down for the Tide with eight sacks on the year. As talented as Saban’s team is, these two are the straws that have stirred the program’s drink over the last two years.

NFL Draft decisions are nothing new for Saban and Alabama. They just usually are playing for a title so they never have to worry about player buy-in down the stretch. While a Sugar Bowl is a great accomplishment, both could decide it’s not worth it at the risk of their pro futures. Now it’s a waiting game in Tuscaloosa to see if both, just one, or neither play another game for the Tide.