Brent Venables gives strong take on players who opt out of bowl games

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is not in favor of the recent trend of players who opt out of their team’s bowl game. With concerns over injuries, many players with obvious NFL futures have chosen to sit out the final game of the season if they are not playing in the College Football Playoff.

The injury argument is certainly valid, and former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was an example last year of how that can play out. Corral was one of the few stars who did not opt out of his bowl game, playing in the Sugar Bowl. However, he injured his ankle and there was talk of how it might affect his draft stock.

Still, Venables stated in his Monday press conference that injuries are a risk all season, and he doesn’t see it being any more likely to happen in a bowl game than a regular season contest. He also explained why he is of the mindset that players should want to finish what they started out of loyalty for their teammates and the program.

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“I’ve been trying to create loyalty to the journey, loyalty to the brand, loyalty to their teammates, their brotherhood,” Venables said. “That’s a very real thing. You’re not gonna do it just overnight and we’ve had problems with that in the past here at Oklahoma. I’m not a big fan of it for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it’s being committed to something and finishing what you started. At some point in time, that’s gotta mean something. Relationships, being thankful for your opportunity.

“You play your whole career in any sport and there’s always a risk for injury, things of that nature. But, I think just as a man, you do what you say you’re gonna do no matter what. So, I’m not a big fan of that. “

The Sooners saw four players opt out of the Alamo Bowl last season, all of whom went on to declare for the NFL Draft. Elsewhere in college football, Ohio State also saw four players opt out of the Rose Bowl, drawing criticism from ESPN analyst and Buckeyes alumnus Kirk Herbstreit.

Brent Venables went on to say that while bowl game opt outs are becoming more and more common, there are some teams where that is not the case. That’s the kind of culture he is attempting to build moving forward at Oklahoma.

“I know it’s a popular thing that’s out there, but there’s plenty of places you don’t really see it happen much at all, and that’s what I’m trying to create here,” he said. “I don’t talk about specifically with any particular players, but I’ve been working on that for the last 11-plus months trying to create a very connected place. If you’re connected, that’ll be a much more difficult decision. If it’s transactional environment, I think it’s a much easier decision.”

Oklahoma achieved bowl eligibility last week after defeating Oklahoma State in the Bedlam rivalry to improve to 6-5. ESPN’s latest bowl projections have the Sooners playing in the Texas Bowl.

However, before that, OU will look to close out the season strong at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday against Texas Tech in Lubbock.