Young, Anderson Jr. Playing in Sugar Bowl is Important to Saban, College Football

The two Alabama standouts and projected top-five NFL Draft picks are expected to play against Kansas State — and it's important for a lot of reasons.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Well, the news is out.

After weeks of banter on who would play and wouldn't play, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced that the team didn't have anyone opting out of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against No. 9 Kansas State on Dec. 31.

This comes as a surprise to many.

Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. are expected to be top-five, if not top-three draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Several others are expected to hear their names called from April 27-29, 2023.

And yet, unlike much of college football, the Crimson Tide's best want to finish what they started.

"It's the culture of college football," Saban said. "People have the choice to do whatever they choose to do. My choice is to coach the guys that we have here that want to play for us."

He isn't the only one that is choosing Alabama on New Year's Eve.

"I think that Will [Anderson Jr.] and Bryce [Young] coming back to play in the game speaks volumes of what kind of culture we have in the program," Saban said. "Guys like that wanting to improve themselves have respect for their teammates."

In this day and age, it is rare for the sport's top players to play in their respective team's bowl game. "Opting out" has become a buzz term throughout college football, going as far as players entering the transfer portal in the middle of the season.

"It's kind of interesting that people opt out of playing for their team," Saban said. "The way you create value for yourself is to play football. That is the best way you can create value for your future. I hear guys all the time say, 'I'm gonna get ready for the NFL.' Well what do you mean? Get ready for the combine? A lot of the things you do at the combine are not even relevant to what you do on the football field."

Household names like Young and Anderson shouldn't play in a bowl game. At least that's what college football fans are told to believe. The two of them deciding to play may have a large impact on the mindset of college stars in the future.

"I think it sets a great example for guys that respect their teammates, want to be a part of their team," Saban said. "I'm extremely proud of these guys. […] I can't tell you how much I respect them as competitors. [They're] guys that have been great teammates on this team [as well as] the leadership that they've given and shown and continue to show by playing in this game."

On a more negative note, injuries happen. But Saban says that the program is taking every step possible to make sure that doesn't happen.

"We're gonna support them in every way that we can," Saban said. "As an institution, we've minimized the risk of them playing in the game by ensuring them the best that we possibly can, so that they're not taking a big risk by playing."

Crimson Tide fans can now sleep soundly knowing that they will get to see their favorite players play one more time in New Orleans.

See Also:

What Nick Saban Said After Alabama's First Sugar Bowl Practice

Photos and Video from Alabama's First Sugar Bowl Practice

Early Enrollees Get An Early Taste Of Alabama Football

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