Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders, who led the team in sacks and tackles, ranking near the top of the SEC in both categories, told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Tuesday that he was opting out of the Razorbacks’ Liberty Bowl matchup with Kansas.
Projected as a first-round pick by many NFL draft analysts, Sanders, a junior, is ranked No. 17 overall on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board and ranked by Kiper as the top inside linebacker available in the draft.
Sanders told Thamel that instead of staying in Fayetteville, Arkansas to prepare for the Jayhawks, he’ll head to California this week to start preparing for next spring’s draft.
“Football isn’t a lifetime sport; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime sport,” Sanders said in a phone interview with ESPN. “I’ve enjoyed playing in college. It’s always been a dream for me to play in the NFL, ever since I can remember. There’s an opportunity for me to take, and I want to take it.”
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Sanders transferred to Arkansas from Alabama for the 2022 season. He finished the season with 9.5 sacks — good for second in the SEC — and 103 total tackles, which ranked fourth in the conference. This season, he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors and also was named a finalist for the Butkus Award.
His absence from a team that led the SEC in sacks, with 39, and ranked 97th nationally in giving up 175.5 yards per game on the ground, could be notable against a Kansas offense that ranked 33rd nationally in rushing offense (194.7 yards per game) and 38th in total offense at 424.9 yards per game.
The 6-6 Razorbacks ranked 123rd nationally in total defense, giving up 453.7 yards per game.
Sanders is far from alone in opting out of his team’s bowl game in order to begin preparations for the draft or avoid injury.
A handful of players, even at big name programs whose teams have been playing for the highest stakes, have elected to do the same during the past couple of seasons.
Dealing with it, along with the movement brought about by the rise of the transfer portal, is merely the latest challenge facing college coaches.
— Drew Sanders (@Drew_16Sanders) December 6, 2022