The increased emphasis on training for the NFL Draft and decreased emphasis on the importance of bowl games has led a number of top draft prospects to opt out their team's bowls in recent years.
This year, that trend has moved even further in that direction, as more and more players have opted out, regardless of their draft stock or status.
That has been especially true so far for Penn State.
As of Dec. 30th, the following players have formally announced their intent to skip the game and prepare for the draft.
— WR Jahan Dotson
— DE Arnold Ebiketie
— DT Derrick Tangelo
— LB Ellis Brooks
— LB Brandon Smith
— DB Jaquan Brisker.
None of the above names were at practice when Penn State had media availability last week.
On top of all that, Nittany Nation has also since confirmed that Rasheed Walker did travel with the team despite being injured.
Now it's not all bad news, as Penn State did receive some good news as well, as Jesse Luketa has announced his intention to play in the Outback Bowl as has safety Ji'Ayir Brown, who added that he'll be returning as well in 2022.
The moves leave the Nittany Lions thin at some positions, most notably at linebacker, but also open up opportunities for a number of young players, which Nittany Nation highlighted in a recent piece.
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