Opting out: The pros and cons of sitting out an unconventional season

As Penn State fans well know, opt outs are becoming part of college football's new reality.

Before the Big Ten presidents voted to postpone the fall season, star linebacker Micah Parsons announced he wouldn't be playing. Among the schools that still plan to play, countless players have chosen not to participate.

There have been various reports about how the Big Ten plans to handle its postponed season, with some suggesting a late fall season may be in the cards, while others have reported winter and spring seasons are the likeliest of the options.

Regardless, the season will be unconventional, presenting new health and injury risks to players who have NFL futures at stake.

Should the Big Ten opt for a return to play, BWI explored specific pros and cons relating to each player who might opt to sit out the season in favor of an NFL future, starting with the offense.

Pros:

Experience — There simply isn’t much that Will Fries hasn’t done at the college level. A three-year starter, he's taken over 740 snaps in every season since making his debut as a redshirt freshman. He has plenty of tape to present to potential suitors. They might feel like he doesn’t have anything else left to prove.

A degree — It sounds simple, sure, but it’s worth mentioning that Fries earned his degree in economics last winter.

Size — Penn State lists Fries at 6-foot-6, 307 pounds, which makes him equipped to handle the physical demands of playing the position at the NFL level.

Cons:

The numbers — Fries allowed four sacks last season, tied for seventh-most among Big Ten tackles who played at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps. His 22 quarterback pressures allowed were also 7th-most, and his 15 quarterback hurries were the 6th-most allowed among his Big Ten peers.

The projections — Always to be taken with a grain of salt, the early draft projectors don’t seem to have Fries on their radar. One final shot to impress might be what Fries needs to hear his name called on draft day.

Pros:

Experience — Much like Fries, there’s no shortage of tape for Michal Menet. He’s entering his redshirt senior season at Penn State and has spent the last two seasons at the Nittany Lions’ starting center, accumulating over 800 snaps in both.

Size — At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, there won’t be many concerns about Menet needing to fill out his figure at the next level.

Cons:

Leadership duties — Menet was named a captain last season and all signs pointed toward him carrying the same responsibilities this season. That might make it harder for Menet to opt out of a potential winter or spring season.

Pros:

Risk aversion — With Parsons already out, there can be no debate about who on Penn State’s roster has the most to lose if he chooses to return. Pat Freiermuth’s stock is sky-high. Most early mock drafts list either him or Florida’s Kyle Pitts as the top tight-end in the draft. There’s not much more room to move up, but plenty of room to slide if Freiermuth suffers an injury setback.

Age — Even though Freiermuth was only a sophomore last season, he was actually eligible to declare for the NFL draft because he did a prep year at the Brooks School before enrolling at Penn State, making him more mature than most others in his class.

Size — Listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Freiermuth is the same weight as Travis Kelce and heavier than George Kittle. His body is NFL ready.

Cons:

Pass blocking — Freiermuth was excellent as a run-blocker last season, but Pro Football Focus rated him in the bottom third of Big Ten tight ends when it came to pass blocking. If you’re nitpicking, that might be the one area of his game where pro scouts might like to see him stick around and improve.

Pros:

Tools — Jahan Dotson has all the makings of an NFL wide receiver. He has the speed and the agility, and he also has the strength to be an effective run blocker.

Cons:

Game production — The numbers don’t jump off the page in the case of Dotson. He was third among Nittany Lions with 27 catches for 488 yards and 5 touchdowns last season, and it seems likely that NFL scouts would want to see improvement on those numbers before he moves up a level.

Lack of experience — Dotson has only one full season as a starter under his belt at Penn State, and even then, he was the third option in the passing game behind Freiermuth and KJ Hamler for most of the season. Some more experience and some more time as a primary option for the Nittany Lions might do him good.

Upside — Penn State’s coaching staff is high on Dotson, and he is certainly capable of posting better numbers than he did last season. There’s plenty of potential reward for the risk associated with playing in an atypical season for him.

Pros:

A sparkling first impression — Journey Brown averaged nearly 7 yards a carry last season in his first shot at significant playing time. He notched over 100 yards in five of the seven games in which he carried the ball 10 times, culminating in a 202-yard, two-touchdown showing against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. Even while splitting carries four ways, Brown made his talent clear.

Speed — Brown can likely lean on his trademark tool to make himself a combine superstar. His 4.29 40-yard dash time would have been the fastest by a running back at this year’s combine by a full tenth of a second. That's hand-timed, of course, but he would surely rank among the best.

Few carries — In many other positions a lack of reps might be a bad thing, but running backs tend to have an expiration date, and NFL teams might view Brown’s relatively small workload as reason to draft him, rather than a reason to encourage him to play another season.

Cons:

Well-roundedness — As good as Brown was carrying the ball last year, he struggled in the passing game. He had four drops on only 20 targets last season, and showed need for improvement while pass-blocking as well. NFL teams may want to see those areas improved before they’re willing to put him on the field.

Pros:

Arm strength — You can’t teach arm strength, and Sean Clifford has it. No matter the flaws and uncertainties in the other parts of his game, NFL scouts will be drawn to Clifford’s arm.

Cons:

Experience — While fewer reps might be a good thing for running backs, you can’t say the same for a signal caller like Clifford. He only has 773 snaps under his belt at the collegiate level, and diagnosing NFL defenses would likely prove to be a difficult task.

Kirk Ciarrocca — Penn State’s new offensive coordinator was able to turn Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan into a 3,000-yard passer with 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last year. A season under Ciarrocca might seriously improve Clifford’s stock.

Family matters — If Clifford were to stick around for two more seasons, he’d get to play with his younger brother, Liam, who is committed to join Penn State’s Class of 2021.

Pros:

Size — At 6-foot-6, 313 pounds, Rasheed Walker already had an NFL body type.

Cons:

Experience — Walker has only taken 692 snaps at the college level despite being draft eligible this spring, and NFL teams may want to see more from him before he makes the jump.

The numbers — Pro Football Focus rated Walker in the bottom half of Big Ten tackles as both a run and a pass blocker. He also allowed five sacks last season, the third most among Big Ten tackles who took at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps.

Upside — With just one year of experience under his belt, it seems reasonable to think that Walker can improve upon what he showed last season. It might be in his best interest to stay with Penn State and produce a better impression.

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