In the new era of college football, bowl opt-outs have dominated the postseason discourse. Draft prospects all over the country have made decisions not to play in non-College Football Playoff bowl games in order to protect themselves from injury and get an early start on draft prep.
But two of college football’s biggest stars are playing in the Alamo Bowl. Thanks to an innovative insurance initiative from Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, Sheduer Sanders, and Travis Hunter, likely top-five picks, plan to play in the team’s bowl game against the BYU Cougars.
Why are Sanders and Hunter willing to play when others have opted out?
Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter Among Several Colorado Players Opting Into Alamo Bowl
There are hundreds of bowl opt-outs across college football due to the transfer portal and NFL Draft, but you won’t find many Colorado players among them.
While a competitive spirit is among the reasons Colorado’s stars will play, there are several more reasons, millions of them.
Last week, Sanders boldly declared, “Our guys don’t opt out,” and he’s helping make that decision easier for his players.
Now we know why he can make such a bold claim. Sanders and Colorado athletic director Rick George announced at the Alamo Bowl press conference that every player with a draft grade will have disability insurance, including “the biggest number in the history of college football” for stars Sanders and Hunter.
It was a collaborative process between Coach Prime and George, who each thanked each other multiple times throughout the press conference.
“That’s just wonderful thought process for this wonderful university that we are attending,” Sanders said. “We’re just thankful that Rick (George) as well as the administration has put his money where his mouth is.”
“Let me just say one more thing,” George concluded. “It was really [Sanders]. It was his idea. He felt that it was important for our student-athletes … to play. It’s a testament to him getting out there in front of his guys and saying ‘we want you to play.’ We did this because we want to ensure these guys are covered. So, we’re excited about it.”
Coach Prime and Rick George announced that Colorado players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will be provided with insurance coverage for potential injury in the Alamo Bowl.
Travis and Shedeur will more coverage than any college football players before them. pic.twitter.com/0SkxGQuZ3M
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) December 24, 2024
Colorado will be close to full strength for the Alamo Bowl, thanks to Sanders’ focus on Name, Injury, and Likeness.
For Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, it’s one last chance to play the college game before going early in the 2025 NFL Draft (potentially first and second overall, as Sanders insinuated).
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While this isn’t the first instance of disability insurance in college football, it’s the most notable, just another notch in Sanders’ idea belt.
Colorado faces BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN in Hunter and Sanders’ last dance with the Buffaloes.
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