Rose Bowl Injury and Opt Out Report for Alabama football vs Michigan

Alabama fans, your wait is almost over.

In the words of little orphan Annie, the Rose Bowl is only a day away, and Michigan is still a slight favorite as of now according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s take a moment to look at who will and won’t be playing in the game, shall we?

First, the transfers.

We are in a different era of college football where bowl games are concerned, as playoff games have, as Nick Saban has repeatedly warned, rendered most of them meaningless in the minds of many. Adding insult to injury, NIL and the transfer portal combine to tempt players looking for greener pastures to opt out in hopes of enrolling at their next school before the second semester begins.

In some cases, teams are so depleted that the action is downright ugly. We saw an example of this in the Cotton as Ohio State was without a bevy of opt outs including starting QB Kyle McCord, who is transferring out, and superstar WR Marvin Harrison Jr. who was content to avoid injury while watching from the sideline as his team was held to three points by Missouri. Florida State brought an even more opt-out ravaged roster to face Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

Fortunately, Alabama and Michigan are in the College Football Playoff so opt outs are limited to those who decided to pursue other opportunities in the college game. Per the good folks at College Football Network who track this stuff, here is the list.

Alabama

• Isaiah Hastings, DL (transfer portal)
• Ja’Corey Brooks, WR (transfer portal)
• Tyler Buchner, QB (transfer portal)
• Thaiu Jones-Bell, WR (transfer portal)
• Anquin Barnes, DL (transfer portal)

Michigan

• CJ Stokes, RB (transfer portal)
• Leon Franklin, RB (transfer portal)

On the injury front, both teams should be relatively healthy with the notable exception of Michigan starting right tackle Zak Zinter, who suffered a broken leg against Ohio State. That injury has been cited repeatedly as a concern for the Wolverines, particularly in pass protection against Alabama’s elite edge talent.

Michigan QB JJ McCarthy played the last few games of the season somewhat hobbled by an ankle injury but says he is !00 percent headed into the Rose Bowl. Starting center Drake Nugent skipped a few bowl practices to rehab an ankle he injured vs the Buckeyes and played through in the Big Ten Championship Game, but he believes that he will be near perfect as well. He will need to be, or the sledding will be even tougher for Michigan’s OL.

On the Alabama side, about the only injury of note has been starting RB Jase McClellan, who missed the SEC Championship Game with a foot problem. At this point, all indications are that he will be a full go.

Fans of the sport always want to see elite teams play at full strength, and heading into the Rose Bowl, Alabama and Michigan are awfully close to that. Should be a fun one.

Roll Tide.