2022 College Football Bowl Game Opt Outs Tracker – See All Players Sitting Out of Their Bowls
By Brady Trettenero in College Football
Updated: December 7, 2023 at 3:52 pm ESTPublished:
- Bowl Season in College Football means opt-out season for players declaring for the NFL Draft or transferring elsewhere
- We’re keeping up with the news and tracking opt-outs and known injuries for every bowl game below
- Looking for the 2023 college football bowl opt out tracker?
2022 College Football Bowl season has arrived, which means it’s that time of year players opt out for the season as they declare for the NFL draft or transfer to another program. More and more college football players are protecting their financial future by electing not to participate in their team’s bowl game.
With over 40 bowl games set to take place this holiday season, it’s impossible to track all the opt outs, transfers and injuries on your own. That’s why at SBD we’re doing the work for you and compiling a running tally of all the college football bowl opt-outs.
The table below displays all official opt outs as well as other absences for each bowl game. This table will be updated as more news becomes available, so check back frequently.
2022 Bowl Game Player Opt Outs and Injuries
| Sugar Bowl | Date | Alabama | Kansas State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama vs Kansas State | Dec. 31 | Traeshon Holden (Transfer Portal), Trey Sanders (Transfer Portal), Christian Leary (Transfer Portal), JoJo Earle (Transfer Portal), Khyree Jackson (Transfer Portal), Amari Knight (Transfer Portal), Tommy Brockermeyer (Transfer Portal), Damieon George (Transfer Portal), Javion Cohen (Transfer Portal), Braylen Ingraham (Transfer Portal), Aaron Anderson (Trasnfer Portal) | None |
| Music City Bowl | Date | Iowa | Kentucky |
| Iowa vs Kentucky | Dec. 31 | Spencer Petras (Shoulder Injury), Keagan Johnson (Transfer Portal), Alex Padilla (Transfer Portal), Gavin Williams (Transfer Portal), Josh Volk (Transfer Portal), Arland Bruce IV (Transfer Portal) | Will Levis (NFL Draft), Chris Rodriguez (NFL Draft), Kavosiey Smoke (Transfer Portal) |
| Fiesta Bowl | Date | TCU | Michigan |
| TCU vs Michigan | Dec. 31 | None | Balek Corum (Knee Injury), Cade McNamara (Transfer Portal), Erick All (Transfer Portal) |
| Peach Bowl | Date | Georgia | Ohio State |
| Georgia vs Ohio State | Dec. 31 | None | Jaxon Smith-Njigba (NFL Draft), TreVeyon Henderson (Foot Injury), Teradja Mitchell (Transfer Portal) |
| ReliaQuest Bowl | Date | Mississippi State | Illinois |
| Mississippi State vs Illinois | Jan. 2 | Rara Thomas (Transfer Portal), Ke’Travion Hargrove (Transfer Portal), Dillon Johnson (Transfer Portal) | DD Snyder (Transfer Portal) |
| Citrus Bowl | Date | LSU | Purdue |
| LSU vs Purdue | Jan. 2 | Jay Ward (NFL Draft), Phillip Webb (Transfer Portal) | Kobe Lewis (Transfer Portal) |
| Cotton Bowl | Date | Tulane | USC |
| Tulane vs USC | Jan. 2 | Dea Dea McDougle (Undisclosed) | Ralen Goforth (Transfer Portal) |
| Rose Bowl | Date | Utah | Penn State |
| Utah vs Penn State | Jan. 2 | Tavion Thomas (NFL Draft), Malone Mataele (Transfer Portal), Dalton Kincaid (NFL Draft) | Parker Washington (NFL Draft), Joey Porter Jr (NFL Draft), Caziah Holmes (Transfer Portal), Ken Talley (Transfer Portal), Christian Veilleux (Transfer Portal), Rodney McGraw (Transfer Portal) |
All information as of December 31st.
Bowl Game Opt Out and Injury News & Notes
• [Dec 19] Texas’ Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs in college football, announced his intentions to enter the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday. Robinson said he will not play in the Longhorns’ Alamo Bowl vs Washington.
• [Dec 14] Tennessee star wide receiver Jalin Hyatt announced Wednesday that he’ll enter the 2023 NFL draft and will skip the Orange Bowl game against Clemson. Hyatt caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
• [Dec 9] Louisville senior quarterback Malik Cunningham declared for the NFL Draft on Friday. The school’s all-time leader in touchdowns won’t play in the Cardinals’ Fenway Bowl game against Cincinnati.
• [Dec 7] Notre Dame star tight end Michael Mayer announced on Twitter Wednesday that he will declare for the 2023 NFL draft and not play in the team’s bowl game against South Carolina. Mayer had 67 catches for 809 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
• [Dec 7] Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft and will skip the Wildcats’ Music City Bowl game against Iowa. Levis threw for 2,406 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this season while battling injuries.
• [Dec 5] Ohio State was dealt a tough blow Monday when star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba announced on social media he was declaring for the NFL Draft and won’t participate in the CFP. Smith-Nijigba barely played in 2022 due to a lingering hamstring injury, but there were rumblings he could make a return for the College Football Playoff.
• [Dec 5] Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday, forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility. Richardson will sit out the Gators’ Las Vegas Bowl game against Oregon State.
• [Dec 5] Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei officially entered the transfer portal Monday after two years as the Tigers’ starter. The consensus 5-star prospect struggled in two years at Clemson and was benched in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik in the AAC Championship against North Carolina.
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Lead NHL & NCAAF Editor
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
