College football’s consensus No. 1 wide receiver, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, will opt out of the 2020 season and declare for the 2021 NFL draft, as Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports was the first to report. Chase is viewed as a potential top-five pick.
According to Dodd, Chase’s decision was not necessarily due to COVID-19. The SEC is still planning to play its 2020 season in the fall (for now), and while NFL GMs may be hesitant to select a prospect who has not played since the 2019 season when the 2021 draft comes along, it’s hard to imagine Chase’s opt-out impacting his stock too much.
The 6-foot, 208-pounder was part of LSU’s juggernaut offense last year, setting SEC single-season records in receiving yards (1,780) and receiving touchdowns (20). That same offense produced three skill positions players that were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, including Chase’s running mate, Justin Jefferson. As good as Jefferson was, Chase was even better, winning the Biletnikoff Award in his sophomore season.
Thus far, Chase is the highest-profile collegiate player to opt out, though other first-round prospects and tantalizing receivers like Wake Forest’s Sage Surratt and Purdue’s Rondale Moore have also made that decision. It seems likely that plenty of other players will follow suit.
Chase’s formal announcement is expected tomorrow.
I’m sure he’s gonna stay in shape so whatever. His numbers would likely have dropped without CEH, Burrow, and Jefferson to take some heat off him. Probably a smart move.
RIP LSU’s offense
The opt out is going to kill NCAA football. 1st-3rd round picks will sit out, train, and then do the combine. Bosa lead the charge for opting out seasons, and plenty more did it for bowl games.
That won’t “kill” the sport. The fans of that team will be bummed out and maybe angry, but it’s always next man up in the college ranks. The turnover of players makes the game great.
We’ll see. People watch the power 5 conferences to see elite talent. If they play at Michigan, Clemson, Bama, FSU, et al. Those players may see the field their junior year. If all that talent sits out, it’ll be a poorly played games.
No one watches UF play Florida A&M expect for gator fans as an example.
No one was watching that even if the all the stars played….85-7 scoring games dont draw much interest.
You’re right. And when Bama plays LSU with a bunch of freshman, do you expect big draws? Sloppy games won’t help ratings.
Since they’re both loaded with talent in all classes and they just reload every single year….yeah….I do. Bama has been elite for a long time for a reason. Couple junior and redshirt soph. players leaving early isn’t going to change that. Maybe it stops them from winning it all, but is it really that bad if Bama doesn’t make title game every single year?
For ratings, yes. Who wants to watch UCF vs Duke in a major bowl game?
@afsooner. That is the key point. You can find entertaining games at every level from Pop Warner to the NFL if the players bring passion to the game and the teams are evenly matched in talent. Without passion and a competitive balance a game will be a dud no matter how heavily it’s hyped.
Next man up!
Obviously the LSU booster money train couldn’t deliver enough cash under the table to stick around.
So Micah Parsons, PSU LB is not a big name? Or are we only talking offense? Parsons opted out long before the B1G decided to not play.
Or Rashod Bateman, WR Minnesota? Bateman will go much sooner in the draft than Moore out of Purdue