BYU Football Not Expected To Have Bowl Game Opt-Outs
Dec 16, 2021, 7:41 PM
BYU football lost a commitment (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
SHREVEPORT, Louisiana – BYU football isn’t expected to have any opt-outs for their bowl game against UAB on Saturday.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen anyone opt-out,” said BYU football associate head coach Ed Lamb on Thursday. “I know that became more popular for NFL-hopefuls, but I don’t think we have a senior-laden team that way. Most of the team we have will be back next year. So I think that will probably help in terms of opt-outs.”
In this era of players looking to move on and begin pursuing an NFL career, it’s surprising to see no one opt-out of a postseason contest.
History of BYU football player opt-outs
Two years ago at the Hawaii Bowl, BYU safety Austin Lee opted out, and then in 2020, at the Boca Raton Bowl, defensive back Chris Wilcox sat out. But on the flip side, No. 2 overall NFL draft pick Zach Wilson opted to play for BYU, putting out a dominant performance against UCF.
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Fourth-year sophomore Tyler Allgeier has proven to be one of the nation’s top running backs this season. Allgeier was honored at BYU’s Senior Day festivities in November, leading many to wonder if he would be moving on after this season for a career in the NFL. Even if he does, and who could blame him? He is expected to play on Saturday against an 8-4 UAB team that features a defense looking to impose their will at the point of attack.
Allgeier is 174 yards away from breaking Luke Staley’s single-season rushing yardage record at BYU. The Fontana, California native has rushed for 1,409 yards and is tied nationally for the most rushing touchdowns this season with 20.
No. 13 BYU vs. UAB
2021 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Date: Saturday, December 18, 2021
Kick: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
Location: Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
TV: ABC
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM — Extended pregame begins at 9 a.m.)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
