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Former college stars Marcus Lattimore, Jaylon Smith weigh in on sitting out bowl games
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A pair of college football’s star running backs, LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, have dominated headlines over the last few days after both announced they would be sitting out their respective bowl games to begin preparations for the 2017 NFL Draft.
It’s been a hot discussion, with many former players (some being marquee NFL players) weighing in with their opinions. Some believe the two are dissing their teammates and will miss out on one last opportunity to honor their schools; some think they’re making an appropriate business decision.
On Tuesday, former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore and former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith joined the conversation:
Haven't had the pleasure of meeting @_fournette or @CMccaffrey5 but by all accounts are great guys. They did their homework. Go get it!
— Marcus Lattimore (@MarcusLattimore) December 19, 2016
Honestly. With Everything I've been through, If I could go back to Jan. 1st I'd play again. #ClearEyeView
— Jaylon Smith (@thejaylonsmith) December 20, 2016
It’s worth noting that both Lattimore and Smith suffered extensive injuries at the end of their college careers, both having a significant impact on their NFL draft status (and more).
At the end of the day, everyone’s situation is different and without being forced with the decision ourselves, it’s tough to determine whether there is a true right or wrong answer here.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
