The Hawaii Bowl kicks off late on Christmas Eve for those back on the mainland but usually ushers in plenty of fireworks for Christmas. This year’s matchup between the South Florida Bulls and San Jose State Spartans is set to produce those same kind of fireworks, particularly on offense, so long as each team is full enough without opt-outs.
Top USF Players Not Playing in Hawaii Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Bulls won’t be in action in the Hawaii Bowl.
- Eli Hiscock, LS, USF (transfer portal)
- Doug Blue-Eli, DL, USF (transfer portal)
- Trey Dubuc, LS, USF (transfer portal)
- Ranod Smith, WR, USF (transfer portal)
- Israel Carter, QB, USF (transfer portal)
- Nikola Milovac, OT, USF (transfer portal)
- Tyree Kelly, WR, USF (transfer portal)
- Aamaris Brown-Bunkley, CB, USF (transfer portal)
For the Bulls, the list of players not playing in this game begin up front at quarterback. The health of Byrum Brown will be key, but he hasn’t played in a handful of weeks.
For USF’s opt-outs, it’s clear they had their fair share of players pop into the transfer portal but of those players, only defensive lineman Doug Blue-Eli had played a pivotal role on either side of the ball for USF.
Carter had played in a full game at quarterback, but their best options have been Brown or Bryce Archie behind center either way.
Top San Jose State Players Not Playing in Hawaii Bowl
Similarly, thanks to CFN’s Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, the Spartans expected to miss the game are easy to find:
- Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State (NFL Draft)
- Sawyer Deerman, WR, San Jose State (transfer portal)
- Michael Dansby, CB, San Jose State (transfer portal)
- Kayden Collins, RB, San Jose State (transfer portal)
- DJ Harvey, CB, San Jose State (transfer portal)
The biggest loss for San Jose State is absolutely Nash. Arguably the nation’s top receiver — and leader in every major receiving statistical category — Nash has opted out of this game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Nash recorded a ridiculous 104 receptions for 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. However, Justin Lockhart is a proven threat and should step into the No. 1 receiver spot. But can he replace Nash’s abilities? Likely not.
Elsewhere, Collins and Deerman didn’t contribute on offense but cornerbacks Dansby and Harvey were both starters for the Spartans.
Combined, Dansby and Harvey pulled in six interceptions and 12 pass breakups on the outside for SJSU. Their loss may be just as big as the loss of Nash on offense.
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