The Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida for the ReliaQuest Bowl. Both teams have missed the College Football Playoffs and are entering this bowl game with a lot to prove. It has to sting more for the 10-2 Commodores as they missed the playoffs despite being a two-loss team, while the Hawkeyes finished their campaign with an 8-4 record.
As both teams prepare for the ReliaQuest Bowl, there are also some players from this season expected not to play. These players might be straight up just injured or have opted out due to entering the transfer portal, declaring for the NFL draft, or a host of other reasons. So, who will not be playing during the New Year’s Eve bowl game?
ReliaQuest Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Iowa Opt-Outs And Injury Report
Vanderbilt Commodores
- TE Eli Stowers: Opted Out
- No noteworthy injuries listed
Only one player has officially been listed to have opted out for Vandy, though there is one glaring potential opt out that has not been declared yet. That is quarterback Diego Pavia, who is expected to declare for the NFL draft and even be drafted high, given that he is a finalist to win the Heisman, only losing it to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, with Pavia getting second place. Other than that, a lot of Vandy’s players are expected to play.
Iowa Hawkeyes
- CB TJ Hall: Injured, questionable
- RB Xavier Williams: Injured, questionable
Head coach Kirk Ferentz has been very optimistic that a significant portion of his roster will be playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl, as evidenced by the team’s relatively few injuries and the absence of confirmed player opt-outs. This is great for Iowa, as they are coming in as complete as their opponents from Vanderbilt.
However, there are some potential opt-outs with DE Max Llewellyn, DT Aaron Graves, C Logan Jones, RG Kade Pieper, RT Gennings Dunker, S Xavier Nwankpa and CB TJ Hall, though Ferentz says he expects them to play as well, so they would not have many roster problems coming into the bowl game.
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