Higdon, who sat out bowl to prep for draft, goes undrafted
This grated on me at the time, but I thought, “I guess he has to do what’s best for him.” But now to see him go undrafted, this bothers me even more. He is now an UDFA signee of the Texans.
As I see it, he had another chance at the bowl game to lead his team and improve his draft stock. Instead, he abandoned them. And for what?
I don’t know how anyone can be behind his decision any longer. I don’t find the “Well, if he got hurt than he might never have even been an UDFA signing” reason very persuasive.
While perhaps the bowl game might not have gone well anyway, I feel that part of the reason they lost was because the overall team effort was low due to poor morale. Morale and leadership is just the kind of thing a captain is supposed to provide. He could have provided that. NFL scouts would appreciate that. And a great performance on the field would certainly have helped his draft stock.
But when your captain jumps ship, a poor performance is to be expected. I wonder how many NFL teams thought worse of him for on personal level for being a captain who left his team, than they were impressed by any additional preparation he had for the Senior Bowl and NFL combine.
While I hope some players would learn a lesson from this, I think it will only get worse.
In other disappointing news, Zach Gentry, who had a poor bowl performance, but still left early, goes in the 5th round to the Steelers. Good for him I guess, but I wonder if he couldn’t have been a 1st or 2nd round pick in a year or two in this new offense. This one is more about players needing compensation in college, so they don’t have to jump earlier than necessary.
I rarely post here but read often, so I guess this just shows my frustration with these choices.
I disagree. They owe it to the team to play every game on the schedule. You cant just pick and choose what games you are going ro play.
Ever since the CFP debuted, bowl games have been downgraded to glorified exhibitions that take plays weeks after the season ends.
Don't caaaaaaare.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:09 PM ^
The Wolverines played with the mentality of a glorified exhibition against Florida and got embarrassed. Michigan definitely didn’t caaaaare. Florida did.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
That's what they were before the playoff. The players are just now realizing this. If they went back to a one game championship, you would see even more players sitting out the meaningless bowl.
I heard a stat that said the team that finishes 5th in the playoff poll has never one its bowl game.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
In 2017, Ohio State was #5 and beat USC in the Cotton Bowl, 24-7.
In 2016, #5 Penn State manhandled USC and was leading by 14 points with 8:15 left in the game, Franklin demonstrated why he's Franklin, and they wound up losing to a last second field goal, 52-49.
In 2014, Baylor got left out of the first ever playoffs and probably felt as cheated and as deflated as any team could feel about finishing 5th. They dominated Michigan State and were up by 20 points with 12:10 left in the game. They missed two field goals in the 4th quarter, including one with just over a minute left that was partially blocked and returned inside their own 50, and surrendered 21 unanswered points to lose by 1.
I don't think the evidence backs up the idea that players feel the bowl games are so meaningless that getting left out means they don't play hard. I have no idea if Michigan's recent lackluster bowl performances are the result of any coaching deficiencies or problems with the culture, or if they're just more or less random from a miniscule sample size; but I think it's disengenuous to suggest that powerhouse college teams don't care about bowl games when they suffer the disappointment of almost but not quite making it into the playoffs.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
I didn’t see the Florida game on the schedule when the 2018 schedule was released. Did you?
April 28th, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
You mean, meaningful games that can result in a championship? It’s almost like that would be a completely different thing.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:33 PM ^
Yeah, the Peach Bowl championship is a thing. OK.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:11 PM ^
I think what people are saying is, if Karan played really well in the bowl game then he could’ve had a JaMarcus Russell moment. I’m not saying Karan would’ve been a first rounder but maybe carry some momentum going into the draft and get selected in a later round.
Anyway, he has an opportunity to make a roster so maybe he can prove everyone wrong. If not, he has his degree from UM.
One bowl performance was not changing higdons draft stock. I don’t know if Gentry has the ability to ever become a second round te let alone a first, but maybe that’s just me.
At the end of the day these men have moved on and you should too.
That’s fair.
And you may be right, but the off-season is long and slow and this news just ripped off a scab.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
It's amazing to me how people on this site don't understand that skipping your bowl game when you're are perfectly healthy could hurt you in the eyes of potential employers. Higdon was expected to be a 6th rounder before quitting on his team. It seems to me that his bowl performance had a big impact on his draft stock.
April 29th, 2019 at 12:30 AM ^
Eh I doubt it. You honestly think Higdon's lack of play in a bowl game impacted his draft stock much? I'm sure the draft rooms across the NFL vary greatly in their opinions, but I can't imagine the bowl game decision made a big difference. You mentioned the "expectation" of Higdon being a 6th rounder before "quitting on his team." To me that's not even a big difference, but that's a different debate. Another debate is how important draft stock is to actual predictions on late round picks. Could a positive bowl game have bumped him up to a 6th/7th round pick? Maybe, maybe not. At the same time, an injury in the bowl game could have screwed him completely. These players have a lot in front of them and I don't blame them at all for wanting to protect their potential future. These guys are free to do whatever they feel is in their best interest. The team stuff is great and everything, but these guys have worked for the program and they need to decide when they should move on.
April 29th, 2019 at 12:49 AM ^
I'm 100% certain his no-show at the bowl game negatively affected him draft position. He ran 4.49 at the combine; based on talent alone he deserved to get drafted. He's faster than Le'veon bell, only .01 slower than Christian McCaffrey and only .02 slower than Ezekiel Elliott. He has all the athleticism to be an elite NFL RB. Teams passed on him because quitting on his team showed poor character.
Realistically, he didn't even need a good bowl game to get drafted. He'd already done enough work in the regular season to merit a late round pick. He just needed to be there, and he wasn't.
You're 100% certain? That's cool, which NFL team do you work for?
Sitting out a bowl game has not impacted the draft stock of one player yet. Even NFL execs have said they don't hold that against a player, in fact they prefer to save a little mileage on a player they are going to be paying. Suddenly, they all got together and said eff Higdon for sitting out his bowl game? Seems legit.
This right here. NFL execs have come out and said that they don't look at bowl games when evaluating a prospect. They prefer the player to sit out and prepare for the combine.
If you were an NFL coach would you rather draft a guy who played through an injury for his team in a bowl game or a guy who sat out the bowl game despite being healthy?
Assume both player descriptions I gave have equal talent. Everyone would want the player who played.
A captain sitting out on his team tells you something about his football pysche and it's not great. Compare that to Chase Winovich who delayed his surgery to play in our bowl game and still went 3rd round. Injuries didn't "scare" teams away from drafting Chase. Toughness is something that is valued by NFL coaches.
April 29th, 2019 at 12:30 AM ^
Any player "expected" to be a day 3 pick has a chance go go undrafted. Acting like he went from a certified 6th rounder to a UDFA because he opted to sit out a meaningless game is asinine.
April 29th, 2019 at 12:37 AM ^
A projected sixth rounder going undrafted isn’t much of an upset. However I will agree that perhaps skipping the bowl cost him a ‘guaranteed’ contract
Off the top my head I can name four guys that skipped their huge giant bowl game that got drafted.
N’Keal Harry
Noah Fant
Justice Hill
Will Grier
...and I’m sure that list is much longer.
Two of those guys were first rounders. You really think NFL teams cared that these guys skipped a bowl game? They care if they can play.
April 29th, 2019 at 11:55 AM ^
Ah yes, the EXTREMELY safe draft position of 6th rounder. Give me a break.
This is dumb. Stop your crying. Looking forward to next seasons speed in space and seeing the new superstars at RB.
Cool.
I predict lots of virtue signaling in this thread.
Why do you take Higdon’s choice to sit out as a personal affront?
April 28th, 2019 at 10:22 PM ^
It’s just weird you feel so strongly about something so inconsequential.
I guess you think Higdon should have played and he let down the team by not doing so? Because that sounds way more like virtue signaling than people defending his choice to maximize his chances at a career.
The guy is free to do whatever he wants. The reason I'm a college football fan is because these guys play for their school and the legacy of their program, which is more or less the opposite of the NFL experience. So don't expect me to respect him or congratulate him for a decision like that. Same with Bush and Gary. Sorry, I just don't have the same memories and opinions of those guys and what they meant to the program as I do for someone like Chase or a million others who could have made the same decision but still decided to come back. It's nauseating to see all these people acting like this doesn't affect his legacy. Yeah, he doesn't owe me anything. But do I really owe him anything either?
Fans are also free to not buy season tickets with hefty seat licenses attached, and fans are also free not to write substantial checks supporting Michigan's athletic program.
I know of no other program where so many players sat out a bowl game.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:00 PM ^
Why do we have so many guys sit out under Harbaugh? It’s like our guys have no sense of family and team.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
Or Harbaugh just happens to be the coach as kids all over the country start to skip these games as they see the money being made by everybody but them.
Damn straight Brutus. I'm starting to worry about how many times I agree with your takes.
As a transplanted Michigander residing in Minnesota, reminds me of the Herb Brooks quote: "The name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back."
That may have been true in 1980. But Billy Sims was the #1 pick in 1980 and had to have weeks long, contentious negotiations to get a total $2 Million which is less than every single player drafted today. I understand inflation and everything but there's too much money on the line today for these kids.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:58 PM ^
Nail it. But i will give a pass to Gary for nursing his injuries.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:03 PM ^
Logged in to upvote. College football (or at least the reasons its been so special to me) is slowly disentegrating. Players are free to make their choices....sit out bowl games, demand pay, grad transfer etc. But self interest-focused player moves in that direction send me in the other direction. I just can't help but feel sad for them and the state of my beloved Michigan (and college football's future). I'l always support them, but as an alum and a fan, give me Chase over Gary.
April 28th, 2019 at 11:11 PM ^
If you honestly believe this,
The reason I'm a college football fan is because these guys play for their school and the legacy of their program, which is more or less the opposite of the NFL
you should either take up DIII football or build a time machine to take you back to the 1960s.
It's fine if you think that. But acting like everyone who respects Higdon's decision is just virtue signaling while you're truly invested in the purity of the sport is total bullshit.
Plus, coaches do this shit all the time. Leaving before bowl games for millions of dollars and better jobs, and people are fine with it. But if I'm fine with a player doing the same, especially with what ADs and commissioners (not players) have done to that sport, then somehow I'm the cheap virtue signaler.
I'd like to have a situation where I felt comfortable saying what Higdon did is wrong. But when the NCAA prevents every penny they can from going to players, even for using their likeness, and fucking Delaney gets millions of dollars as a farewell present, I just can't keep the blinders on.
Also, Rashan is going to make millions even with a torn labrum. Butt and Winovich were also in a better position even with injuries. Higdon is an RB. With a kid. He has way more at stake.
And the bowl game wasn't meaningless, but it's not like Higdon left before OSU. It's clear bowl games aren't what they used to be. Sitting out one game, which was also the least important game of his career, doesn't change my opinion of him.
I thought he was referring to all the purity-of-the-game folks with the "virtue signaling" comment, and upvoted.
What would that mean in this case? Showing that you felt sad for Higdon? While thisover-worked cliche might be meaningful in some circumstances, I don't get its application here.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
It's more like people trying to spin this as some sort of act of bravery and how he's their hero because he sat out of a football game.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
No, you’re the brave one. Your memories of someone else playing football have been slightly tarnished, yet you find the strength to carry on.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
I appreciate your words of kindness. It's been really rough but I think I'll pull through. Barely. Thank you for being so supportive.
April 28th, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
Act of bravery? Really? Haven’t seen that written once. Given the circumstance, smart? Sure. A bit selfish? Sure. And I think everybody that understands this has accepted that after years of training, filling stadiums, and generating giant TV revenues to fatten other people’s wallets that these kids shouldn’t be judged for being just a bit selfish and looking out for their futures by skipping a game that won’t help improve their teams standing in way whatsoever.
You should go back to not posting here.
I’ll weigh your opinion with your -200 plus points in mind.
At least I CAN post here.
if Higdon ran for 110 yds and 2 tds in the bowl game he wouldve been drafted
Probably not.
