Kansas State will have no opt outs for Sugar Bowl vs Alabama

There will be no opt outs in this year’s Sugar Bowl. Both Kansas State and Alabama will have its full roster – barring players already entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Reports came out over the weekend that the Tide wouldn’t have any players sit, and K-State headman Chris Kleiman confirmed the same for the Wildcats. “I think that is great for college football,” he said Wednesday.

Bowl season in the current college football landscape sees players that are vetted for the pros begin to focus their attention toward the NFL Draft. By the time the postseason begins, players test the waters and reach out for evaluations of their potential draft slots. If they like what they hear, why would they risk sustaining an injury if their team’s bowl game is of ultimately no consequence? Most of the time, they wouldn’t.

The two biggest names for Alabama that are set to play their final game against K-State are Bryce Young and Will Anderson. Both considered as the top prospects at their respective positions, nobody would have blamed them if they sat out – especially given the fact that the Crimson Tide missed out on the College Football Playoff this season.

“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 change to play with my brothers, that’s really how I look at it,” Young said. “This is a great opportunity for us as a team, for me, for all of us and we’ve all had each others backs all year.”

For Kansas State, star running back Deuce Vaughn is undecided whether or not he’s going to declare for the NFL Draft or return to school for one last season. The junior has compiled 4,751 total yards and 42 touchdowns for the Wildcats over the past three seasons.

He’ll decide his future after the Sugar Bowl, as this game means more to him than any other he’s been a part of during his Wildcat career.

“The Sugar Bowl is a game I have wanted to play in since I was a little kid,” Vaughn said. “I have watched it every single year, going back to when Ohio State was playing against Alabama with Ezekiel Elliott. Just going up against Alabama after all the matchups they have had playing Clemson and Ohio State and everyone else, this type of game is something I am going to relish. Playing in the Superdome is going to be big time.”

With two full rosters, Alabama and Kansas State are set to meet in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon ET live on ESPN.