Karlaftis, Bell won't play in Music City Bowl
It's official: defensive end George Karlaftis and receiver David Bell won't take part in the Music City Bowl.
"They will not play," said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm after practice on Monday.
It had been widely speculated that neither would take part in the bowl game on December 30 vs. Tennessee in Nashville. The juniors both declared a year early for the NFL draft. Karlaftis is projected by many draft pundits to be a first-round selection, while Bell could go between the second and fourth rounds.
"I'm always gonna give my opinion," said Brohm when asked about his conversations with Karlaftis and Bell about playing in the bowl. "I like for guys to finish what they started and continue to try and prove themselves and improve their stock and I think anytime you got a chance to play a really good opponent, especially in a bowl game when it's the only game on TV, if you play well, things can can benefit you to a great degree."
It has become a trend in recent years for players who turn pro to skip bowl games, thus avoiding any injuries that could hurt their draft stock and pro potential.
"I understand the position they're in," said Brohm. "With all of our players, we want to communicate what we think. Obviously, they hear other opinions and other sides of the story and then they weigh that and do what's best for them. But we're gonna support both those guys. They've done a tremendous job for us. Great ambassadors of the program, performed at a high level and really have a bright future."
So, who will fill their voids in the Music City Bowl?
"Without question, you're gonna see some probably new people in the game, this bowl game," said Brohm. "We're still waiting to get final grades back and some things like that. So, we'll adjust accordingly as we go, but there will be new faces in there."
As for receiver: "I think when look at the receiver position, Broc Thompson has played injured all year. He'll have to step up, but he is injured. He's gonna have to get some things done after the season. So, I applaud him for playing tough. Jackson Anthrop, TJ Sheffield, those are the guys that have played the most. Of course, we've missed Abdur (Rahmaan Yaseen) and Mershawn Rice (both are injured). So, right now that throws in Collin Sullivan, Preston Terrell would be the next two up in the mix and there could be even more."
As for defensive end: "We''ll move Jack (Sullivan) back over to that position backed up by Joe Anderson and a few others. (Sullivan has) played both sides. We wanted to get him more playing time with George playing quite a bit. I think Jack will play hard and do a good job.
"At the other end position, which is normally our boundary side, Kydran Jenkins, getting him healthy is important and DaMarcus Mitchell, and Khordae (Sydnor) is a young freshman that you could see in the game a little bit more at either spot."
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