Alabama stars Bryce Young, Will Anderson plan to play against K-State in Sugar Bowl

Kansas State’s upcoming game against Alabama at the Sugar Bowl just got even more exciting.

Bryce Young and Will Anderson, a pair of projected top five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, both reportedly plan to play in the postseason game for the Crimson Tide, according to ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban later confirmed that report to ESPN, saying the Crimson Tide aren’t expecting to have any “opt-outs” for the game.

College football players choosing to participate in a bowl game isn’t usually newsworthy. After all, there is no such thing as “opting in” to a game. But this is a rare exception. For weeks, it was widely assumed that Young, Anderson and several other Alabama football players would skip this game and begin preparing for their pro careers.

But that is not the case.

Alabama will be sending its varsity roster to New Orleans on Dec. 31.

That makes this game much more interesting on both sides of the ball. Unlike last season, when K-State played a LSU roster at half strength at the Texas Bowl, Alabama should be near full strength for this one.

Young is 6-foot junior who won the Heisman Trophy in 2021. He was unable to make it back to New York as a Heisman finalist this season, but he did help Alabama win 10 games by throwing for 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Some mock drafts predict Young to be the No. 1 overall pick in the next NFL Draft.

Anderson is a 6-foot-4 linebacker who has piled up 204 tackles, including 34.5 sacks during his three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He has been honored as college football’s best defensive player in each of the past two seasons by winning back-to-back Bednarik Awards.

He is expected to be a top five pick in the NFL Draft.

It looks like K-State will get to play against both of those elite playmakers later this month in the Sugar Bowl.