Saturday afternoon sees a Sun Belt and Big 12 showdown as the 10-3 Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns and 8-4 TCU Horned Frogs clash in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl on ESPN at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Between injuries, transfer portal entrants, and NFL Draft declarations, there will be several Louisiana and TCU players not playing in the New Mexico Bowl.
Top Louisiana Players Not Playing in New Mexico Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Ragin’ Cajuns won’t be in action in the New Mexico Bowl.
- Shadwell Nkuba II, CB (transfer portal)
- Trayv’on Culbert, WR (transfer portal)
- Carmycah Glass, LB (transfer portal)
- Ty Stamey, TE (transfer portal)
- Harvey Broussard, WR (transfer portal)
- Terrance Carter, TE (transfer portal)
- Dre’lyn Washington, RB (transfer portal)
- Jathan Caldwell, TE (transfer portal)
- Djay Williams, IOL (transfer portal)
- Devron Williams, OL (transfer portal)
Louisiana gets their starting quarterback back for the matchup with TCU, with Ben Wooldridge returning from injury. However, one of the players not playing in the New Mexico Bowl is dynamic offensive weapon and star running back Washington, who has rushed for 478 yards and five touchdowns this season for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Tight end Carter is also missing for Louisiana after snagging 689 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2024. Leading the defensive players not playing in the New Mexico Bowl is linebacker Glass, who finished the year second on the team with 75 tackles, contributing four tackles for loss.
Top TCU Players Not Playing in New Mexico Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Horned Frogs won’t be in action in the New Mexico Bowl.
- Cam Cook, RB (transfer portal)
- Dominique Johnson, RB (transfer portal)
- JoJo Earle, WR (transfer portal)
- Richard Toney Jr., S (transfer portal)
- Shadrach Banks, LB (transfer portal)
- Terrence Cooks, LB (transfer portal)
- Marcus Williams, OT (transfer portal)
Running back Cook headlines the TCU players not playing in the New Mexico Bowl. The Frogs’ leading rusher tallied 460 yards and nine touchdowns this fall before entering the transfer portal. Wide receiver Earle wasn’t a significant contributor this season, and running back Johnson only had 18 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown.
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As such, the TCU players not playing in the New Mexico Bowl shouldn’t be too detrimental to the offense. According to their latest depth chart, they’ll also have starting center James Brockermeyer (who committed to the Miami Hurricanes) and backup quarterback Hauss Hejny, despite both players entering the transfer portal.
Linebackers Bank and Cooks have also jumped into the portal but made just 11 appearances between them in 2024. Safety Jamel Johnson will leave the program but is slated to play in the New Mexico Bowl after tallying 71 tackles, two tackles for loss, and three pass breakups for the Frogs this season.
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