Notable players sitting out 2024 bowl games: Live Updates

It's the most wonderful time of the year, even if it's not quite so wonderful as it used to be. Bowl season is still good for a fair dose of college football magic, whether it's a wild play or even the occasional edible mascot. These days, though, bowl season also means opt-outs, as fan bases wait to figure out just which of their favorite players they'll be able to see suit up one last time. It can be awfully difficult to keep track of all the movement, so we've put together this handy tracker with all the latest opt-outs and opt-ins.

Why players are opting out of bowl games

Bowl opt-outs have become more and more prevalent in recent years, due to a number of converging factors. It began as a safety concern, with players on the verge of entering the NFL Draft viewing one more game as one more opportunity for an injury to derail their football futures. (The fact that stars like Michigan tight end Jake Butt and Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith saw their draft stock take a hit due to serious injuries suffered in their respective bowl games certainly didn't help.)

Over the past couple of years, though, opt-outs have exploded, as the introduction of the transfer portal has created complete roster chaos as soon as the regular season comes to an end. The portal opens the week following conference championship weekend, meaning that players can either focus on finding a new home or stick around for their team's bowl game and risk getting left out in the cold. (And cost themselves quite a bit of money, as most programs will have used up the majority of their NIL budgets by the time bowl season concludes.)

So, which players are sitting out this bowl season? Let's run through some of the biggest names.

Key players skipping bowl games this season (updated live)

Quarterbacks are always in high demand come portal season, and several big names won't be playing in bowl games as they look to sign on with other programs.

• Tulane QB Darian Mensah (transferring to Duke)
• Washington State QB John Mateer (transferring to Oklahoma)
• Cal QB Fernando Mendoza (transfer portal)
• USC QB Miller Moss (transferring to Louisville)
• Duke QB Maalik Murphy (transferring to Oregon State)
• Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold (transferring to Auburn)
• Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman (transferring to Houston)
• Penn State backup QB Beau Pribula (transfer portal)
• SMU backup QB Preston Stone (transfer portal)
• Louisville QB Tyler Shough (NFL Draft)
• Liberty QB Kaidon Salter (transferring to Colorado)

Beyond the QB position, there are several other notable offensive names who have already opted out of their bowl games.

• Missouri WR Luther Burden III (NFL Draft)
• Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson (NFL Draft)
• LSU T Will Campbell (NFL Draft)
• LSU T Emory Jones (NFL Draft)
• LSU TE Mason Taylor (NFL Draft)
• San Jose State WR Nick Nash (NFL Draft)
• Kansas State RB DJ Giddens (NFL Draft)
• Georgia Tech WR Eric Singleton (transfer portal)
• Texas Tech WR Josh Kelly
• Arkansas WR Andrew Armstrong (NFL Draft)
• Arkansas RB Ja'Quinden Jackson (NFL Draft)
• USC WRs Zachariah Branch, Duce Robinson, Kyron Hudson (transfer portal)
• USC RB Woody Marks (NFL Draft)
• UNC RB Omarion Hampton (NFL Draft)
• Alabama RB Justice Haynes (transfer portal)
• Michigan TE Colston Loveland (NFL Draft)
• Michigan RB Donovan Edwards (NFL Draft)
• Louisville WR Ja'Corey Brooks (NFL Draft)

And here's a list of notable defensive players:

• Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart (NFL Draft)
• Nebraska OLB Princewill Umanmielen (transfer portal)
• Michigan DT Mason Graham (NFL Draft)
• Michigan CB Will Johnson (NFL Draft)
• South Carolina DE Kyle Kennard (NFL Draft)
• Virginia Tech DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland (NFL Draft)

Key players still undecided

According to head coach Deion Sanders, all of Colorado's draft-eligible players are expected to play in the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec. 28. That said, we still haven't heard directly from QB Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, so stay tuned there.

Miami QB Cam Ward seemed to confirm that he'll be suiting up for the Hurricanes one more time in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State, although top target Xavier Restrepo's status is still unknown.

Alabama has lost a good deal of talent to the transfer portal over the past week, but it seems like everyone who's stayed will be playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan. That includes QB Jalen Milroe, who announced Thursday morning that he'll suit up against the Wolverines. We still haven't gotten official confirmation from NFL Draft prospects like LB Jihaad Campbell, G Tyler Booker or S Malachi Moore, but Kalen DeBoer seems confident his team will be at full strength.

Speaking of Michigan: While TE Colston Loveland, CB Will Johnson, DT Mason Graham and RB Donovan Edwards have already announced that they'll miss the bowl game against Alabama, we're still waiting on word from RB Kalel Mullings, DT Mason Graham and others.

Lane Kiffin expects that he'll have most if not all of his Ole Miss Rebels available for the Gator Bowl against Duke, including defensive standouts Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmeilen and QB Jaxson Dart, all of whom have already declared for the draft. That said, some opt-outs could still remain, like WRs Tre Harris and Juice Wells.