The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl gets the College Football Playoff quarterfinals off to an electric start on New Year’s Eve as the Penn State Nittany Lions and Boise State Broncos go into battle with a semifinal spot on the line.
However, between injuries, transfer portal entrants, and NFL Draft declarations, there will be several Penn State and Boise State players not playing in the Fiesta Bowl.
Top Penn State Players Not Playing in Fiesta Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Nittany Lions won’t be in action in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Jason Estrella, WR (transfer portal)
- Beau Pribula, QB (transfer portal)
- Jerry Cross, TE (transfer portal)
- T.A. Cunningham, DL (transfer portal)
- Feyisayo Oluleye, WR (transfer portal)
Unsurprisingly, given the stakes, there are very few players not playing in the Fiesta Bowl for Penn State. Those that are missing have made very little impact on the program reaching this stage of the College Football Playoff, with zero stats recorded for any of the four non-quarterback transfer portal entrants to this point.
However, quarterback Pribula provides a case study for changes to the timing of the college football calendar. The Penn State backup saw time in 13 games this year, throwing five touchdowns and completing 74.3% of his passes when tasked with relieving starter Drew Allar. However, he entered the transfer portal and will miss the team’s playoff run as a result.
Top Boise State Players Not Playing in Fiesta Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Broncos won’t be in action in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Wyatt Milkovic, LB (transfer portal)
- Jackson Grier, WR (transfer portal)
- Udoka Ezeani, LB (transfer portal)
- Malachi Nelson, QB (transfer portal)
- Kaden Dudley, RB (transfer portal)
- Zamondre Merriweather, ATH (transfer portal)
- Khai Taylor, ATH (transfer portal)
- Demanuel Brown, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Dionte Thornton, S (transfer portal)
There are slightly more Boise State players not playing in the Fiesta Bowl, but there are no high-level contributors missing from the Broncos starting lineup as they look to shock the college football world on Tuesday night.
MORE: 2025 NFL Draft Underclassmen Tracker
The most significant name on the list of players not playing in the Fiesta Bowl is backup quarterback Nelson, who entered the year as the expected starter under center. However, the former top recruit in the 2023 class failed to beat out Maddux Madsen and appeared in just three games with 17 pass attempts and an interception before entering the transfer portal.
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