Jeff Brohm: Purdue to play Music City Bowl vs. Tennessee without two star players

Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm will be down not one, but two All-Americans for the Music City Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers, as wide receiver David Bell and defensive end George Karlaftis have opted out of the Boilermakers’ season finale.

“They will not play,” Brohm said of his two star Purdue players, both of whom have declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. In a follow-up question about whether he agrees with Bell and Karlaftis’ decisions to not participate in the bowl, Brohm said, “I like for guys to finish what they started and continue to try and prove themselves and improve their stock and I think anytime you got a chance to play a really good opponent, especially in a bowl game when it’s the only game on TV, if you play well, things can can benefit you to a great degree.”

Bell was named an AP first-team All-American on Monday, while Karlaftis was named an AP third-team All-American. Both players will be selected in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft, with Karlaftis likely to hear his name called on Day One.

Bell is having his best season to-date in a Purdue uniform. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior is averaging an impressive 13.8 yards per reception, reeling in 93 catches for 1,286 receiving yards and six touchdowns. In three seasons with the Boilermakers — which includes an abbreviated 2020 campaign — Bell has amassed 2,946 receiving yards on 232 receptions, along with 21 receiving touchdowns. He was a first-team freshman All-American in 2019, while also being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, then followed it up with consecutive first-team All-Big Ten awards.

Karlaftis is having a successful 2021 campaign himself, tallying 36 total tackles (25 solo stops), 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended. His performance can only be overshadowed by his historic freshman campaign in 2019, when he was named to the All-Big Ten second team and was also a freshman All-American. That year, Karlaftis had 54 total tackles (30 solo stops), 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception for Purdue.

Purdue already seemed to be playing at somewhat of a disadvantage in the Music City Bowl. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Volunteers’ head coach Josh Heupel said he expects it to have the environment of a home game, with Tennessee fans making the short trip from Knoxville.

“I understand the position they’re in,” Brohm said of Karlaftis and Bell. “With all of our players, we want to communicate what we think. Obviously, they hear other opinions and other sides of the story and then they weigh that and do what’s best for them. But we’re gonna support both those guys. They’ve done a tremendous job for us. Great ambassadors of the program, performed at a high level and really have a bright future.”